System for the storage and retrieval of messages

ABSTRACT

A system for the centralized storage of messages on a telecommunications network includes a processor, memory, and a storage device. The storage device has a message store portion for storing message information, a transaction segment portion for storing segment information, and a message device status portion for storing device information. The message store portion is associated with the transaction segment portion and the device status portion.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The application claims the benefit of priority from provisionalU.S. Patent Application Serial No. 60/332,376 filed Nov. 16, 2001 whichis expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Set forth below is a complete list containing the names of thisapplication and related commonly owned U.S. Patent Applications entitled“Telecommunications System Messaging Infrastructure”, A System forTranslation and Communication of Messaging Protocols into a CommonProtocol”, A System for the Validation and Routing of Messages”, ASystem for the Storage and Retrieval of Messages”, A Sysem for HandlingProprietary Files”, A System for Handling File Attachments”, A Systemfor the Centralized Storage of Wireless Customer Information”, A Systemfor Customer Access to Messaging and Configuration Data”, A System andMethod for Querying Message Information”, A System and Method forPassword Protecting a Distribution”, A System and Method for ProvidingMessage Notification”, Methods and Systems for Routing Messages Througha Communications Network Based on Message Content”, and Methods andSystems for Tracking and Playing Back Errors in a CommunicationsNetwork” filed on the same date herewith.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates generally to a messaging system inwhich messages can be routed among devices, stored in a data structure,and retrieved for further use. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to a system for the storage and retrieval of messages in amessaging infrastructure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Currently, messaging systems possess limited storage andretrieval capabilities. In general, a messaging system facilitates thetransmission of messages, such as text messages, over a communicationsnetwork. For example, in a conventional pager or Mobitex system, textmessages are transmitted over a wireless network. Typically, a messaginginfrastructure contains only a limited amount of storage space indatabases for the storage of messages. The rapid expansion of the numberof messages sent over these infrastructures produces a demand to storemore messages on a limited amount of database capacity. Therefore,messages are stored in these databases with a minimal amount ofaccompanying information. Message storage is currently designed to be asbasic as possible in order to conserve data storage space on a systemwith immense data storage demands. In order to keep the storage demandsunder control, wireless telecommunications carriers often createsimplified methods for storing messages. As such, these messagingsystems are capable of handling only a few different types of messages.

[0005] In a typical wireless communications system, only a fixed set ofmessage types is supported. A particular wireless company usuallydesigns its messaging infrastructure to support the variouscommunications protocols it provides related to those message types.However, different wireless companies often support differentcommunications protocols. In many cases, the messaging protocols of onesystem are unsupported by the infrastructure of another system.Moreover, due to technological progress and the integration of standardinternet protocols into wireless communications, the number of differenttypes of messages is rapidly increasing.

[0006] For example, it is now possible to send a message with anattached file to a wireless device. A typical wireless communicationsplatform has difficulty handling the attached file. Instead, the messageitself is delivered and the attached file is unfortunately dropped. Withthe increasing number and size of attachments sent with messages, it isimportant that a messaging infrastructure possess the capability ofproperly handling attached files.

[0007] Further, with the advent of proprietary files, a new type ofstorage and retrieval system is required to preserve the proprietarynature of those files. A typical messaging infrastructure does notprovide for the storage of proprietary files. Typically, proprietaryfiles are stored in the same manner as common messages. As such, theproprietary nature of those files is not preserved.

[0008] Increasingly, messaging systems are required to handle multipletypes of messages and multiple communications protocols. Applicants havefound that current messaging systems lack the ability to process andtransmit the multiple types of messages sent today. Accordingly,Applicants have found that a new messaging infrastructure with improvedstorage and retrieval functionality is necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In accordance with the invention, a system for the centralizedstorage of messages on a telecommunications network includes aprocessor, memory, and a storage device. The storage device has amessage store portion for storing message information, a transactionsegment portion for storing segment information, and a message devicestatus portion for storing device information. The message store portionis associated with the transaction segment portion and the device statusportion.

[0010] Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in partin the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theadvantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means ofthe elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

[0011] It is to be understood that both the foregoing generaldescription and the following detailed description are exemplary andexplanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodimentsof the invention and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate one embodiment ofthe invention and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

[0014]FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a messaging infrastructure 100 inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

[0015]FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of an adaptive routing concentratorin an exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

[0016]FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of a routing and validation entity inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of message delivery in an exemplaryembodiment consistent with the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of an ARCfunctioning to receive a message from a messaging element in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

[0019]FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the messagereceipt stage of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention.

[0020]FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the routingrequest publication stage of an ARC in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention.

[0021]FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the receipt ofa routing reply stage of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the translationstage of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the presentinvention.

[0023]FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of an ARCfunctioning to transmit a message from the network transport bus in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.

[0024]FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of a RAVE forrouting messages in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the presentinvention.

[0025]FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the routingrequest receipt stage of a RAVE in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the present invention.

[0026]FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the extractionof routing information stage of a RAVE in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention.

[0027]FIG. 14 illustrates a diagram of a Data Storage and RoutingTerminal in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the presentinvention.

[0028]FIG. 15 illustrates a simplified view of the messaginginfrastructure 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention.

[0029]FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of a DARTelement in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of thepresent invention.

[0030]FIG. 17 illustrates the receipt of a request by a DART entity inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

[0031]FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a DARTentity performing a store function in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the principles of the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 19 illustrates a query request performed by a DART entity inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

[0033]FIG. 20 illustrates a cancel request performed by a DART entity inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

[0034]FIG. 21 illustrates an external mail request performed by a DARTentity in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of thepresent invention.

[0035]FIG. 22 illustrates a method for limiting access to a proprietaryfile such as a ring tone in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

[0036]FIG. 23 depicts an method for handling attachments to messages inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

[0037]FIG. 24 illustrates the Mail Transfer Gateway 170 interfaced tothe messaging infrastructure 100 in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the principles of the present invention.

[0038]FIG. 25 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of an MTAelement in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of thepresent invention.

[0039]FIG. 26 illustrates the execution of a validation function by anMTA entity in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles ofthe present invention.

[0040]FIG. 27 illustrates the execution of various anti-spammingfunctions by an MTA entity in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe principles of the present invention.

[0041]FIG. 28 depicts a MIND database 137 in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention.

[0042]FIG. 29 illustrates the database business logic component of themessaging infrastructure in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

[0043]FIG. 30 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the MIND database in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

[0044]FIG. 31 illustrates a flow chart of a bulk load operationperformed by the MIND in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

[0045]FIG. 32 depicts an incremental update of data contained in thedatabases of the infrastructure in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the principles of the present invention

[0046]FIG. 33 illustrates an SCI in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the principles of the present invention.

[0047]FIG. 34 depicts a method for querying or tracking a message basedon a unique identifier in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

[0048]FIG. 35 depicts a method for password protecting asubscriber-created distribution list in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention.

[0049]FIG. 36 depicts a method for designating a type of messagenotification in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principlesof the present invention.

[0050]FIG. 37 depicts a method for providing message information to asubscriber based on the contents of a cookie in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention.

[0051]FIG. 38 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of an SCI in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

[0052]FIG. 39 illustrates the receipt of a response by the SCI in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention.

[0053]FIG. 40 is an exemplary flow diagram that illustrates theprocessing of a response by the SCI in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention.

[0054]FIG. 41 illustrates a LAMB in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the principles of the present invention.

[0055]FIG. 42 illustrates an exemplary method for administering an errorcondition in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056]FIG. 43 illustrates an exemplary method for stepping through amessage transmission consistent with an embodiment of the presentinvention will now be described.

[0057]FIG. 44 illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a contentrouter may be operatively connected to a multiplexer consistent with theprinciples of the present invention.

[0058]FIG. 45 illustrates another exemplary system environment with acontent router in which to practice an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0059]FIG. 46 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method forretrieving information with a content router consistent with anembodiment of the present invention.

[0060]FIG. 47 illustrates another exemplary method for retrievinginformation using a content router according to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] Reference will now be made in detail to the present exemplaryembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Definitions and Acronyms

[0062] Unless otherwise stated or evident based on the context used, thefollowing terms and acronyms will be defined as follows:

[0063] ARC—Adaptive Routing Concentrators.

[0064] BITBUS—Backbone Integration Transport.

[0065] COS—Class of Service.

[0066] CR—Content Routers.

[0067] DART—Data Storage and Routing Terminals.

[0068] EMS—Enhanced Messaging Service.

[0069] IM—Instant Messaging.

[0070] IMAP—Internet Message Access protocol.

[0071] JBBC—JAVA database connectivity.

[0072] LAMB—Logging Administration Maintenance and Billing.

[0073] LDAP—Lightweight data application protocol.

[0074] MDS—Message Data Store.

[0075] MIME—Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions.

[0076] MIND—Master IT and Network Database.

[0077] MTA—Mail Transfer Agent.

[0078] MTG—Mail Transfer Gateway.

[0079] ODBC—Open Database connectivity.

[0080] POP—Post Office Protocol.

[0081] RAVE—Routing and Validation Entities.

[0082] RVDB—Routing and Validation Database.

[0083] SOAP—Simple Object Access Protocol

[0084] SCI—Subscriber Interface.

[0085] SMPP—Short Message Peer to Peer.

[0086] SMTP—Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

[0087] TAP—Telecator Alphanumeric Paging Protocol.

[0088] UADB—User Alias Database.

[0089] XML—Extensible Markup Language.

[0090] Overview

[0091] A messaging infrastructure 100 serves to communicate messagesfrom a first device to a second device. While in the prior art messagingtended to be limited to sending and receiving messages only from devicesaccessible from the same Short Message Service Center (SMSC), exemplaryembodiments of a messaging infrastructure 100 consistent with thepresent invention facilitate the sending and receipt of messages betweendisparate (or similar) devices, many of which use different messagingprotocols and formats, across a range of messaging centers and gateways.In order to assist in this process, messages sent from a first devicemay be received by a first adapter, which translates the messages into acommon format; published onto a network transport bus in a commonmessaging format; received by a second adapter, which translates themessages into a second device format; and transmitted to the seconddevice. In this fashion messages can be transmitted between variousdevices having different formats and capacities.

[0092]FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a messaging infrastructure 100 inan exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention. Thewireless messaging infrastructure 100 is comprised of a number ofnetwork elements communicating over a network transport bus 125. Thenetwork transport bus 125 may be a common asynchronous message exchangemechanism for transmitting messages in a common format. One or moreAdaptive Routing Concentrators (ARCs) 110 a-c provide messagingelements, such as Short Messaging Service (SMS) 105, Enhanced MessagingService Center (EMCS) 115, and Internet Message Access Protocol/PostOffice Protocol (IMAP/POP) server 118 access to and from the networktransport bus 125. The ARCs 110 a-c (labeled ARC1, ARC2, ARC N) serve totranslate messages between a particular messaging element formatassociated with the messaging element and the common format used on thenetwork transport bus 125. The ARCs 110 a-c also may request routinginformation from routing entities and send the translated messagesacross the network transport bus 125 to an appropriate destination ARC.

[0093] In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the one ormore routing entities are known as a Routing and Validation Entities(RAVE) 130 which may be accessed by the ARCs 110 a-c to performvalidation, routing and alias/distribution list functions. The RAVE 130accesses routing information in a Routing and Validation Database (RVDB)135 via a Backbone Integration Transport Bus (BITBUS) 132. The RAVE 130accesses alias and distribution list data in the User Alias Database(UADB) 140. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a MasterIT and Network Database (MIND) 137 may populate both the RVDB 135 andthe UADB 140. The RAVE 130 returns routing information to the ARC 110a-c that requested the routing information. Through the interaction ofthe ARCs 110 a-c, the network transport bus 125, and the RAVE 130,messages into the messaging infrastructure 100 are received, translated,routed, and transmitted to destination devices.

[0094] In addition to these elements, exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention may also include one or more Data Storage and RoutingTerminals (DART) 145 a-b (shown as DART 1, DART 2) interfaced to thenetwork transport bus 125 for storing messaging data in a Message DataStore (MDS) 150 a-c for access and retrieval at later points in time.The DARTs 145 a-b access the MDSs 150 a-c via a Backbone DataStoreTransport Bus 108. One or more Content Routers 155 interfaced to thenetwork transport bus 125 receive messages addressed to a particularaddress and redirect the messages to external devices which, forexample, may return information requested in the message to the messagesender. A Logging Administration Maintenance and Billing Entity (LAMB)160 interfaced to the network transport bus 125 may log network trafficfor error tracking, error replay and billing functions. Also, aSubscriber Configuration Interface (SCI) 165 interfaces to the networktransport bus 125 for allowing users to access and update subscriber andmessaging device information.

[0095] Exemplary embodiments consistent with the present invention mayalso include a Mail Transfer Gateway (MTG) 170. The Mail TransferGateway 170 may serve as an email gateway between the messaginginfrastructure 100 and the Internet 175. To facilitate this function,the Mail Transfer Gateway may be coupled to both the network transportbus 125 and the BITBUS 132.

[0096] It should be noted that this exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1 and the other figures contained herein is intended to show theoverall architecture and certain components of the present invention. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that operation of amessaging infrastructure in accordance with the present invention mayinclude all or a subset of these components, or may include additionalelements of a similar nature or additional elements with commoninterfaces as such elements are developed.

[0097] Components of Messaging Infrastructure Architecture

[0098] The following summaries the particular components of theMessaging Infrastructure Hardware.

[0099] Adaptive Routing Concentrator Hardware

[0100]FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of an adaptive routing concentrator110 in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.The adapter, or ARC 110, comprises a messaging interface 210 coupled toa processor 220 coupled to a network transport bus interface 230. Themessaging interface 210 communicates between the ARC 110 and a messagingelement 205. The message element 205 may be any of a number of messagingelements communicating a variety of messaging protocols. Messagingelement 205 may comprise, for example, an SMSC, an Enhanced MessagingService Center (EMSC), an email gateway operating Simple Mail TransferProtocol (SMTP), Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) or ShortMessage Peer to Peer (SMPP), an Instant Messaging (IM) gateway, a pushproxy gateway communicating HTTP elements, Telecator Alphanumeric PagingProtocol (TAP), a Mobitex gateway, an IMAP/POP server or any other typeof element or gateway.

[0101] Messaging interface 210 is operable to pre-cache messages orpost-cache messages, or it performs no caching. Caching is useful wherecertain messaging elements operate in such a way that messages aresegmented into multiple parts. In pre-caching, incoming message segmentsinto the messaging interface 210 are held in the messaging interface 210until the last segment is received, prior to sending the incomingmessage to the processor 220. In post-caching, outgoing segmentedmessages from the messaging interface 210 to the message element 205 areheld until the last segment is received from the Processor 220.

[0102] Messaging interface 210 is extensible such that, regardless ofthe messaging element 205 with which the messaging interface 210 iscommunicating, the messaging interface 210 can be adapted to communicatewith that messaging element 205. Communication between the messaginginterface 210 and the messaging element 205 may be unidirectional orbi-directional, such that the ARC 110 may send and/or receive messageswith the messaging element 205. In addition, the ARC 110 may comprisemultiple messaging interfaces 210, where each interface communicateswith a separate messaging element 205.

[0103] The messaging interface 210 communicates with the processor 220.Regarding messages incoming from the messaging interface 210, theprocessor 220 operates to translate messages between the messagingelement 205 format or protocol and the common format utilized on thenetwork transport bus 125. In addition, the processor 220 generatesrouting requests to a router, generally a RAVE 130. In order to generatea routing request, the processor 220 may, for example, parse theincoming message from the message interface 210 to retrieve anoriginating address and a destination address from the incoming message.The routing request generated by processor 220 may include theorigination address, destination address, and a unique transactionidentification that identifies the message. The processor 220 receives arouting response via the network transport bus interface 230 thatcontains routing information for the received message. Based on thatrouting response, the processor 220 operates to route messages receivedfrom the messaging interface 210 to an appropriate destination.

[0104] Should routing responses contain requests for additionalinformation, such as a password, the processor 220 operates to requestthe password via the messaging interface 210 from the messaging element205 and verify the receipt of an accurate password prior to routing themessage to its destination. The processor 220 is also operable to sendmessage status information to the messaging element 205 via themessaging interface 210.

[0105] Regarding messages incoming from the network transport businterface 230, the processor 220 is operable to translate the messagesfrom the common format into the messaging element format and transmitthe messages, via the messaging interface 210 to the messaging element205.

[0106] The translation operation of the processor may be operable tostore a plurality of potential messaging element formats within the ARC110 or only the applicable messaging element format for the messagingelement in communication with the ARC 110. The processor 220 may beoperable to sense the appropriate messaging element format andadaptively translate the common format between the appropriate messagingelement format, or the appropriate messaging element format may beconfigured into the processor 220.

[0107] The network transport bus interface 230 couples the processor 220to the network transport bus 125. The network transport bus interface230 monitors traffic along the network transport bus 125 for messagesdirected to the ARC 110 and places messages on the network transport bus125 from the processor 210.

[0108] The Network Transport Bus

[0109] The network transport bus 125 is a data and control bus thatoperates as a multi-port switch to permit the transfer of messagesbetween various network elements. The network transport bus utilizes acommon message format for communication among and between the networkelements. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the commonmessage format may be Extensible Markup Language (XML) or MIME. Whilethe network transport bus 125 is illustrated as a single common bus,those skilled in the art will appreciate that it may be segmentable andscalable and may be physically broken with firewalls and gatewaysseparating parts of the network transport bus 125. The network transportbus 125 may include a message broker to facilitate communication alongthe bus and may monitor itself for congestion or other potentialproblems.

[0110] In an exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention,messaging across the network transport bus 125 may be point-to-point,multipoint, or broadcast. A point-to-point message utilizes anaddressing scheme whereby the message is designated to be received by asingle network element. Multipoint messaging utilizes an addressingscheme whereby a single message may be delivered to two or morespecified network elements. Broadcast messaging publishes the messageonto the network transport bus 125 for receipt by any or all networkelements programmed to receive the message.

[0111] Exemplary embodiments consistent with the present invention mayutilize a combination of subject and device addressing to send messagesalong the network transport bus 125. Subject based addressing tends tobe broadcast based, tagging a subject address onto a message. Some orall network elements may monitor the network transport bus 125 forsubject addresses of interest to that particular network element. Forinstance, in generating a routing request, an ARC may append the subjectaddress “Routing_Validation” to the header of a message broadcast on thenetwork transport bus. Each of the Network elements interested inreading a “Routing_Validation”, such as routers or RAVEs, would readthese messages off of the network transport bus 125.

[0112] Exemplary embodiments consistent with the present invention mayalso append a more specific network element address onto the headeralong with the subject address. For instance, a routing request may beaddressed to “Routing_Validation.RAVE1”. In that case, RAVE1 would bethe intended RAVE that would read the message associated with therouting request. Other RAVEs would likely not read the messageassociated with the request; however, error tracking network elements,such as a LAMB, may choose to read the message.

[0113] In addition, messages may have a plurality of headers formessages intended to be received by a variety of different networkelements, i.e., a multicast message. For instance, a message sent to adistribution list of recipients may have several headers attached to themessage, with each header designating an intended destination networkelement.

[0114] Network transport bus interfaces, such as network transport businterface 230, may run daemons that monitor the network traffic forappropriate subject addresses and network element addresses. Forinstance, ARC1 110 a may monitor network traffic for subject addressessuch as “DeliverMSG” (for delivering a message) or“Routing_Validation_Response” (for a routing validation response). ARC1110 a may also monitor any specific network addresses appended to thesesubject addresses looking for “.ARC1.”, in which case ARC1 110 a willread the message.

[0115] Routing and Validation Entity Hardware

[0116]FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of a routing and validation entity130 in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention.The RAVE 130 comprises a network transport bus interface 310 coupled tothe network transport bus 125 and a processor 320 coupled to the networktransport bus interface 310. The network transport interface 310monitors traffic along the network transport bus 125 for messagesdirected to the RAVE 130 and places routing replies on the networktransport bus 125 from the processor 320.

[0117] Similarly to the operation of the ARC's network transport businterface 230, the RAVE's network transport bus interface 310 may rundaemons that monitor the network traffic for appropriate subjectaddresses and network element addresses. For instance, RAVE 130 maymonitor network traffic for subject addresses such as“Routing_Validation” (for receiving a routing request for a message).RAVE 130, through network transport bus interface 310 may also monitorany specific network addresses appended to these subject addresseslooking for “.RAVE.”, in which case RAVE 130 will read the message.

[0118] Processor 320 interfaces with the network transport bus interface310 to receive routing requests and generate and transmit routingreplies. Upon receipt of a routing request, the processor 320 mayextract routing information based on the destination device addressand/or the origination device address. If the destination device addressis an alias or a distribution list, the processor 320 may look-up thealias or distribution list in the UADB 140 and return one or more actualdestination device addresses that correspond to the alias ordistribution list.

[0119] In exemplary embodiments consistent with the present invention,the processor 320 may query an RVDB, such as RVDB 135, for routinginformation for each of the one or more destination device address (morethan one in the case of a distribution list). The routing informationmay contain information, including but not necessarily limited to, thedevice type of the destination device, device address of the destinationdevice, and an adapter, or ARC (110), that serves the destinationdevice. Routing information may also include a password, if thedestination device is password protected. In addition, the originationaddress may be used in the routing information lookup to determine ifthe origination device address is on a whitelist (permittedcommunication) or on a blacklist (barred communication). A class ofservice indicator may also be looked up for the destination deviceaddress, origination device address, or both to ensure that themessaging device has an appropriate class of service prior to routingthe message to the destination. In addition, if the destination deviceaddress or the origination device address is associated with a prepaidsubscriber, the processor 320 may verify sufficient available funds areavailable to route the message. Data storage options may also be lookedup for either the destination device address or the originating deviceaddress. Processor 320 may return some or all of this information in therouting reply returned to the requesting ARC.

[0120] While the RAVE 130 and the ARC 110 a-c have been discussed as ifthey were physically separate units, it is foreseen that they mayfunction as distinct processes within a single hardware unit. In thatcase, communication between the ARC 110 a-c and RAVE 130 might be over alogical network transport bus rather than a physical network transportbus.

[0121] In view of the high-level description of RAVES ARC's and thenetwork transport BUS, the process by which messages are received,routed and/or delivered will now be discussed.

[0122] Message Delivery

[0123]FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of message delivery in an exemplaryembodiment consistent with the present invention. This flowchartillustrates the processes that occur across the ARCs, RAVE, and networktransport bus in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Inthis particular example, an SMS message residing in SMS 105 will bedelivered as an ESM message via ESMC 115. At stage 405, an ARC, in thisexample, ARC 1 110 a, receives an incoming message from an SMSC 105. Themessage is received by ARC1 110 a in SMS format and carries anoriginating device address and a destination device address. The ARC1110 a parses the incoming message to determine the originating deviceaddress and destination device address and assigns a unique transactionidentification to the message. At stage 410, ARC1 110 a requests routinginformation by publishing a routing request on the network transportbus. The routing request may contain the destination device address,originating device address, and the unique transaction identification.For optimum efficiency, we prefer that the message itself not be sent inthe routing request in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

[0124] At stage 415, the router, RAVE 130, receives the routing requestand extracts routing information. The RAVE 130 may perform a look-up inthe RVDB 135 based on the destination device address to extract therouting information. At stage 420, the RAVE 130 publishes the routinginformation back onto the network transport bus. The ARC1 110 a picks upthe routing information from the network transport bus.

[0125] At stage 425, the ARC1 110 a translates the incoming message fromthe SMS format to the common format, which may, for example, be eitherXML or MIME, and appends routing or addressing information onto thecommon format message. At stage 430, the ARC1 110 a publishes themessage on the network transport bus. At stage 435, ARC2 110 b receivesthe published message from the network transport bus. At stage 440, ARC2110 b translates the message from the common format to the EMS format,and, at stage 445, ARC2 110 b transmits the message to the ESMC 115 fordelivery to the destination device.

[0126] Detailed operations of the various network elements follows.

[0127] Adaptive Routing Concentrator Operation

[0128]FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an ARC operating to receive amessage from a messaging element in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the present invention. At stage 510, the ARC receives the messagefrom the originating device via the messaging element. At stage 520, theARC publishes a routing request for routing information for the receivedmessage. At stage 530, the ARC receives a routing reply in response tothe routing request. At stage 540, assuming the routing request returnsa valid response, the ARC translates the message from the incomingmessaging format into the common format. At stage 550, the ARC publishesthe common message to the destination device over the network transportbus 125.

[0129]FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the messagereceipt stage 510 of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent withthe present invention. At stage 605, the ARC receives an incomingmessage from an originating device via a messaging element. At stage610, the ARC separates the header from the body of the message. At stage615, the ARC parses the header for an originating device address and adestination device address. At stage 620, the ARC assigns a uniquetransaction identification to the message. Typically, an ARC containsmemory for short term storage of the message, header information, andassociated unique transaction identification.

[0130]FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the routingrequest publication stage 520 of an ARC in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention. At stage 705, the ARC generates arouting request. Typically, a routing request may be of the followingform:

[0131]“Routing_Validation.RAVE_ADDRESS.ORIGINATING_ARC_ADDRESS.TRANSACTION_ID.ORIGINATING_DEVICE_ADDRESS.DESTINATION_DEVICE_ADDRESS”

[0132] where:

[0133] RAVE_ADDRESS is the address of the destination RAVE for therequest. Typically, the ARC will not address the routing request to aparticular RAVE, so this field will typically be “RAVE*”, meaning anyRAVE;

[0134] ORIGINATING_ARC_ADDRESS is the address of the ARC originating therouting request, e.g, ARC1, ARC2, etc.;

[0135] TRANSACTION_ID is the assigned transaction identification of themessage;

[0136] ORIGINATING_DEVICE_ADDRESS is the address of the originatingdevice gathered from parsing the header information; and

[0137] DESTINATION_DEVICE_ADDRESS is the address of the destinationdevice gathered from parsing the header information.

[0138] At stage 710, the request is published on the network transportbus.

[0139] Once the ARC publishes the routing request, its tasks relating tothis message are complete until the return of a routing reply. FIG. 8illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the receipt of a routingreply stage 530 of an ARC in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention. At stage 805, the monitor daemon in the ARC monitorstraffic on the network transport bus. At stage 815, the daemon examinesthe header of a message on the network transport bus to determine if thesubject address is a routing reply for this particular ARC. Typically,it is searching for “Routing_Validation_Response.ARCn”, where ARCn isthe address of this ARC that is awaiting the routing reply.

[0140] If an appropriately addressed routing reply is received at stage815, at stage 820, the ARC will parse the routing reply. At stage 825,the routing reply is examined for an invalid message in the response. AnInvalid message in the response may typically be of the following form:

[0141] “Routing_Validation_Response.Invalid.Reason”, where Reason couldbe because of, for example, an insufficient prepaid account,blacklisting, or an insufficient Class of Service (COS).

[0142] If an Invalid response is returned, at stage 830 the ARC examinesthe reason field to determine if it is because of insufficient funds ina prepaid subscriber's device. If so, an invalid message is returned tothe originating device in stage 845. The invalid message may include thereason for the invalid message. Following an invalid message to theoriginating device in stage 845, at stage 875, further processing of themessage is halted, so that the message is not delivered to therecipient. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, resources arenot expended translating the message to the common format if the messageis not going to be transmitted across the network transport bus to thedestination device.

[0143] If insufficient funds are not the reason for the Invalid reply,at stage 835 the ARC examines the reason field to determine if it isbecause of a blacklist associated with the destination device. If so, aninvalid message is returned to the originating device in stage 845. Theinvalid message may include the reason for the invalid message.Following an invalid message to the originating device in stage 845, atstage 875, further processing of the message is halted, so that themessage is not delivered to the recipient.

[0144] If blacklisting is not the reason for the Invalid reply, at stage840 the ARC examines the reason field to determine if it is because ofan insufficient COS associated with the device. If so, an invalidmessage is returned to the originating device in stage 845. The invalidmessage may include the reason for the invalid message. Following aninvalid message to the originating device in stage 845, at stage 875,further processing of the message is halted, so that the message is notdelivered to the recipient.

[0145] If none of these is the reasons for the Invalid reply, at stage875, the message is not sent, and, typically an invalid message is sentto the originating device.

[0146] If a valid reply is received in the routing response, e.g.,“Routing_Validation_Response.Valid.”, at stage 850 the reply is examinedto see whether a password has been transmitted in the reply. If apassword has been submitted in the reply, this is an indication that thedestination device is password protected and the originator needs tosupply a password to send the message. Optionally, the originatingdevice may include a password in the original message which wouldobviate the need for stages 855-860. Typically the originating devicewill not have supplied a password. Therefore, at stage 855, a passwordrequest is sent to the messaging entity requesting a password. At stages860 and 865, the password is received and compared to the passwordsupplied by the routing reply. If the passwords do not match, at stages870 and 875 an invalid password message is returned to the originatingdevice and the message is not delivered. Optionally, exemplaryembodiments consistent with the present invention may provide formultiple attempts to provide a correct password.

[0147] Assuming a valid response and a valid password, if required,processing continues at stage 540 where the message is translated intothe common format. FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of the operation ofthe translation stage 540 of an ARC in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention. At stage 905, the message istranslated from its original message format to the common message formatutilized on the network transport bus 125. At stage 910 routinginformation gathered from the routing reply is utilized to append aheader to the message in the common format. The header of the commonmessage may be in one of the following formats:

[0148]“Deliver_Message.ARCn.DEVICE_TYPE.DESTINATION_ADDRESS.TRANSACTION_IDENTIFICATION”or“Deliver_Store_Message.ARCn.DEVICE_TYPE.DESTINATION_ADDRESS.TRANSACTION_IDENTIFICATION”,where:

[0149] ARCn is the address of the ARC associated with the destinationdevice. This information may or may not be in the routing replyinformation. If the information is in the routing reply information,then the appropriate ARC address is in this field. Otherwise, this fieldwill contain ARC*, and each ARC will have to examine this message andinternally decide whether the Device Type or Destination Address isassociated with the respective recipient ARC;

[0150] Device Type is the type of destination device. Examples includeGSM, TDMA, Mobitex, FAX, etc.;

[0151] Destination Address is the destination address for thedestination device;

[0152] A Deliver_Message subject is used if the message does not need tobe stored in the DART. A Deliver_Store_Message subject is used if themessage is to be stored in the DART.

[0153] Once the message had been published onto the network transportbus, the operations of the ARC are essentially complete. Additionalexemplary embodiments of the invention may provide for feedback tooriginating ARCs relating to the delivered status of messages.

[0154] While the previous FIGS. 5-9 illustrated the flowchart of theoperation of an ARC functioning to receive a message from a messagingelement in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the presentinvention, ARCs also function to receive messages from the networktransport bus for transmission to destination devices. FIG. 10illustrates a flowchart of the operation of an ARC functioning totransmit a message from the network transport bus in an exemplaryembodiment consistent with the present invention.

[0155] At stage 1005, the monitor daemon in the ARC monitors traffic onthe network transport bus. At stage 1010, the daemon examines the headerof a message on the network transport bus to determine if the subjectaddress is related to delivery of a message. Typically, it is searchingfor “Deliver_Message.ARCn.DEVICE_TYPE.DESTINATION_ADDRESS” or“Deliver_Store_Message.ARCn.DEVICE_TYPE.DESTINATION_ADDRESS”. If adelivery related message is found at stage 1010 and the ARCn field isleft as “ARC*”, at stage 1015 the ARC will parse the common messageheader to pull out the Device_Type and Destination_Address entries. Atstage 1020, if either of these entries has a value assigned to the ARC,processing proceeds to stage 1030.

[0156] At stage 1025, if the subject address is not related to deliveryof a message and the ARC is not specifically addressed, e.g. ARC1., thenthe daemon continues to monitor network traffic at stage 1005.Otherwise, flow proceeds to stage 1030.

[0157] At stage 1030, the contents of the message in the common formatare read from the network transport bus. At stage 1035, the header ofthe message is parsed to determine the destination address. At stage1040, the message is translated by the ARC from the common format to themessaging format of the messaging entity, and at stage 1045, the messageis sent to the destination device via the messaging entity.

[0158] Routing and Validation Entity Operation

[0159] In view of the detailed description of the operation of an ARC, adetailed description of the operation of the RAVE follows with referenceto FIG. 11. FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of a RAVEfor routing messages in an exemplary embodiment consistent with thepresent invention. At stage 1105, the RAVE receives a routing requestfrom the network transport bus. At stage 1110, the RAVE extracts routinginformation relating to the routing request. At stage 1115, the RAVEgenerates a routing reply comprising the routing information. At stage1120, the RAVE transmits the routing reply back onto the networktransport bus.

[0160]FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the routingrequest receipt stage 1105 of a RAVE in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention. At stage 1205, a daemon on theRAVE monitors network traffic on the network transport bus 125. At stage1210, the daemon examines the header of a message on the networktransport bus to determine if the subject address is a routing request.Typically, it is searching for“Routing_Validation.RAVE_ADDRESS.ORIGINATING_ARC_ADDRESS.TRANSACTION_ID.ORIGINATING_DEVICE_ADDRESS.DESTINATION_DEVICE_ADDRESS”

[0161] where:

[0162] RAVE_ADDRESS is the address of the destination RAVE for therequest. Typically, the ARC will not address the routing request to aparticular RAVE, so this field will typically be “RAVE*”, meaning anyRAVE;

[0163] ORIGINATING_ARC_ADDRESS is the address of the ARC originating therouting request, e.g., ARC1, ARC2, etc.;

[0164] TRANSACTION_ID is the assigned transaction identification of themessage;

[0165] ORIGINATING_DEVICE_ADDRESS is the address of the originatingdevice gathered from parsing the header information; and

[0166] DESTINATION_DEVICE_ADDRESS is the address of the destinationdevice gathered from parsing the header information.

[0167] If a Routing_Validation message is found at stage 1210 and theRAVE_ADDRESS field is left as “RAVE*”, at stage 1215 the RAVE will parsethe common message header to pull out the Destination_Device_Addressentry. At stage 1220, if the entry has a value assigned to the RAVE,processing proceeds to stage 1230.

[0168] At stage 1225, if the subject address is not a Routing_Validationand the RAVE is not specifically addressed, e.g. RAVE1., then the daemoncontinues to monitor network traffic at stage 1005. Otherwise, flowproceeds to stage 1230.

[0169] At stage 1230, the Routing_Validation message is read, and atstage 1235 the Routing_Validation message is parsed to pull out theoriginating device address and the destination device address. At stage1110, routing information is extracted from the RVDB.

[0170]FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the extractionof routing information stage 1110 of a RAVE in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention. At stage 1303, the RAVE examinesthe destination device address entry to determine whether it is an aliasor a distribution list. If the destination device address entry is analias or a distribution list, at stage 1306 the RAVE looks up the entryin the UADB. At stage 1309, if the entry is not found in the UADB, anInvalid response is returned in the routing response at stage 1312. But,if the entry is found in the UADB, at stage 1315 the destination devicesare expanded from the entry in the UADB, and the list of one or moredestination devices is returned at stage 1318.

[0171] At stage 1321, for each of the one or more destination devices,process stages 1324-1369 are executed. If more than one device ispresent, this will yield a string of routing information with a headerportion for each of the destination devices.

[0172] At stage 1324, the destination device is looked up in the RVDB.At stage 1327, routing information is extracted from the RVDB for thedestination device. The routing information comprises at least a deviceaddress. The routing information may further comprise: a device type, anARC address associated with the device address, prepaid subscriber flag,whitelist data, blacklist data, COS data, password data, and a datastorage flag.

[0173] At stage 1330, if the origination device and/or the destinationdevice is related to a prepaid subscriber, stage 1333 looks up balanceinformation to determine if there is an available balance. If thebalance is not available, at stage 1336, an Invalid reply is returnedfor the associated destination device.

[0174] If the balance is available, the RAVE may debit the originationdevice and/or destination devices account.

[0175] If the origination and/or destination device is not associatedwith a prepaid subscriber, or if the origination and/or destinationdevice is associated with a prepaid subscriber with a sufficientbalance, processing proceeds in parallel to stages 1339, 1348, and 1351.

[0176] At stage 1339, the ARC checks whether the originating address ison a whitelist for the destination device. If so, a Valid response isgenerated and processing continues at stage 1369. If not, at stage 1342the ARC checks whether the originating address is on a blacklist for thedestination device. If so, an Invalid response is generated andprocessing continues at stage 1369. If not, at stage 1345 the ARC checkswhether the originating address or destination address meets the COSrequirements. If so, a Valid response is generated and processingcontinues at stage 1369.

[0177] At stage 1348, the process checks whether a password is requiredfor the destination device. If so, at stage 1363 a Password is returnedand processing proceeds to stage 1369.

[0178] At stage 1351, the process checks whether a data storage flag isturned on for the destination device. If so, at stage 1365 a datastorage flag is returned and processing proceeds to stage 1369.

[0179] At stage 1369, the various returned routing information iscompiled for all destination devices associated with the message. Thisis used to generated the routing reply of stage 1115 (FIG. 11). Arouting reply header typically will look like this for each destinationdevice in the header:

[0180] “Routing_Validation_Response.VALIDITY.REASON.DEVICE_TYPE.DEVICE_ADDRESS.ARCn.PASSWORD.DATASTORE.TRANSACTION_ID”,where

[0181] VALIDITY generally returns either Valid or Invalid;

[0182] REASON may return the reason for an Invalid response;

[0183] DEVICE_TYPE may return the type of device;

[0184] DEVICE_ADDRESS returns the specific device address for thedestination device;

[0185] ARCn may return the address of the ARC responsible for thedevice;

[0186] PASSWORD may return a password if one is required to send amessage to the destination device; and

[0187] DATASTORE may return a flag if data storage should take place forthe message.

[0188] Data Storage and Routing Terminal

[0189] At a high level, as set forth in the detailed description thatfollows, Data Storage and Routing Elements (“DART”) are used in thesystem of the present invention to manage the message storage andretrieval functions of the system. DART(s) also provide message routingfunctionality for data messages.

[0190] In an exemplary embodiment consistent with the present invention,DARTS 145 a-b may be active network elements that supply business logicfor storing, updating, and querying current message objects from MDS 150a-c. DARTS 145 a-b, for example, can provide an interface between MDS150 a-c, and other elements of the wireless architecture that produceand query the data stored in MDS 150 a-c. In the example of FIG. 1,DARTS 145 a-b may support interface requirements to MDS 150 a-c. Forexample, DARTS 145 a-b may implement load balancing between MDS 150 a-c.In this manner, one or more of the DARTs, such as DART1 145 a, mayperform a load balancing function for the data stored in one or moremessage data stores such as MDS 150 a.

[0191] One or more of the DARTs, such as DART1 145 a, may providerouting to one or more of the message data stores such as MDS 150 a. Inthis manner, DART1 145 a, for example, may route messages or otherinformation to one or more of the message data stores such as MDS 150 a.In one exemplary embodiment, DARTS 145 a-b perform routing functionswhich direct particular messages to a particular message data store suchas MDS 150 b.

[0192] One or more of the DARTs such as DART1 145 a, may store messagesin a message data store such as MDS 150 c, on a per device basis. Forexample, all of the messages that are associated with a particulardevice may be stored in a single message data store, such as MDS 150 b.In that example, DART1 145 a may be able to detect a device typeassociated with a particular message and route that message to apredefined message data store. Device types may be defined based ontheir supporting network, such as general packet radio service (GPRS),Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or MOBITEX. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, a single DART, such as DART1 145 a,may be adapted to handle a certain type of message for a particulardevice. In this manner, DART1 145 a may handle all MOBITEX messages.DART1 145 a may then be tasked with routing all MOBITEX messages to aparticular message data store. In yet another alternate embodiment ofthe present invention, multiple DARTs may handle multiple device types.For example, each DART 145 a-b in the system depicted in FIG. 1 may becapable of handling messages for numerous different device types.

[0193] DARTS 145 a-b may also be capable of handling fragmented messagesegments. For example, in a short messaging service (SMS) format,messages may be segmented into different parts of standard lengths. Oneembodiment of the DART may be capable of handling message segments so asto preserve the integrity of a message made up of message segments. Forexample, DART 145 a may be capable of receiving numerous messagesegments of a single message and directing those message segments to asingle message data store such as MDS 150 b.

[0194] DARTS 145 a-b may be capable of routing information including theoriginating and terminating addresses of a particular message. In afurther embodiment of the present invention, DARTS 145 a-b may be ableto handle and direct COS data as well as context identification data ona per transaction basis. DART 145 a may also be able to parse out amessage header. In general, DARTS 145 a-b may be capable of handlingnumerous data and information structures associated with a particularmessage.

[0195] DARTS 145 a-b may be capable of querying messages and determiningthe current status of a message. These query and status functions may beperformed on a per device basis. For example, a DART, such as DART1 145a, may be able to access a message data store, such as MDS 150 b, todetermine the number of messages stored therein for a particular devicetype. Additionally, DART1 145 a may be capable of determining thecurrent status of messages stored in a message data store.

[0196] One or more DARTs, such as DART 145 b, may provide support formultiple database elements such as UADB 140, RVDB 135, and MDS 150 a-c,as well as other internal or external databases. In an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, DARTs, such as DART 145 b, maysupport call level interfaces such as open database connectivity (ODBC)or JAVA database connectivity (JDBC), database middle ware, light weightdirectory access protocol (LDAP) interfaces, multiplexing databaserequests, JAVA messaging service and JAVA naming directory information,database connection pooling, database adaptors, and format andapplication protocol of a database gateway. Alternate embodiments of theDART of the present invention may be able to support any one or more ofthese protocols and applications as well as numerous others known tothose skilled in the art.

[0197] The DARTs, such as DART 145 a, may provide the ability to sendtransactions as a remote request in which one sequential query languagerequest is sent to one database. In other embodiments, a DART, such asDART 145 b, may be able to send transactions as a remote unit of work inwhich many sequential query language requests are sent to one databaseor as a distributive request in which many sequential query languagerequests are sent to many databases. In this manner, one or more DARTs,for example, may be capable of querying one or more databases, such asRVDB 135, UADB 140, and MDS 150 c.

[0198] DART2 145 b, may be capable of publishing messages to othernetwork elements such as, for example, RAVEs, ARCs, and other DARTs.This message transfer may be accomplished via a publish and subscribeprocess. Additionally, in another embodiment of the present invention,the transfer of messages may be accomplished via a synchronous or anasynchronous transaction process.

[0199] DART1 145 a may be capable of parsing a message so that onlyheader information without message text can be sent to a wirelesssubscriber. DART1 145 a may also be capable of responding with specificheader information, message identification information, message size orlength, date stamps, and message statuses. In this manner, DART 145 amay be able to parse out various segments of a message and send anynumber of those segments to a wireless subscriber.

[0200] In a further aspect of the present invention, segmented messagescan be linked together into a single transaction. For example, if amessage exceeds the standard length, it would then take up more than onesegment. DART 145 b of the present invention contemplates treating thesegmented pieces of a single message as a single transaction. In afurther embodiment of the present invention, data can be parsed out ofthe message to convert it into different protocols.

[0201] DART 145 b may also provide various storage management functions.For example, DART 145 b may provide the capability of throttling thenumber of messages for a single wireless subscriber. In addition, DART145 b may be capable of tracking the number and size of messages asingle wireless subscriber stores in a message data store such as MDS150 a. DART2 145 b may be capable of notifying a wireless subscriber ofthe number of messages stored in a message data store.

[0202] In another embodiment of the present invention, a wirelesssubscriber may be allotted a certain limited amount of storage in amessage data store such as MDS 150 a. In this manner, a wirelesssubscriber, for example, may be given one megabyte of data storagecapability on a message data store. If the wireless subscriber exceedsthe one megabyte storage limit, then DART2 145 b may be capable ofsending the wireless subscriber a message indicating such. DART2 145 bmay be capable of notifying a wireless subscriber that his messagestorage limit is about to be reached. These notification messages may bedelivered through any convenient medium to the wireless subscriber. Forexample, the wireless subscriber may receive such a message on hispager. A further aspect of the current invention provides for storagethresholds that are dynamically modifiable. In this example, a wirelesssubscriber may be allocated an initial storage capacity, for example twomegabytes, and then be able to increase that capacity later upon arequest or upon the occurrence of a certain event.

[0203] The DARTs, such as DART1 145 a may be capable of supporting datareplication. Further, DART 145 a may be capable of supporting methodreplication. For example, business logic may be replicated among variousDARTs and may be thus modifiable throughout all DARTs.

[0204] DARTs, such as DART2 145 b, may be capable of allowing a user toremotely delete e-mail from a wireless device. In this manner, awireless subscriber may be able to access his wireless device and beable to delete, for example, an email message. DART 145 a may then beable to synchronize this deletion to a mail server so that the e-mail isalso deleted from the mail server. In other words, a single deletecommand from a wireless device could operate to erase, for example, ane-mail message from both a database and an e-mail server. In theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, DART1 145 a may receive a delete commandfrom a wireless subscriber. In this example, DART1 145 a may then beable to delete the particular e-mail message from MDS 150 a as well asfrom an IMAP/POP server 156. In this manner, DART 145 a may be capableof a synchronized delete function.

[0205]FIG. 14 illustrates a diagram of a Data Storage and RoutingTerminal 145 in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the presentinvention. The DART 145 comprises a network transport bus interface 1410coupled to a processor 1420 coupled to a backbone datastore transportbus interface 1430.

[0206] The network transport bus interface 1410 couples the processor1420 to the network transport bus 125. The network transport businterface 1410 monitors traffic along the network transport bus 125 formessages directed to the DART 145 and places messages on the networktransport bus 125 from the processor 1420.

[0207] The processor performs the operations described throughout thisportion of the specification and interfaces to the backbone datastoretransport bus 108 through the backbone datastore transport bus interface1430. Through this interface and bus, the DART communicates with themessage data store entities, MDS.

[0208] The message data store entities, such as MDS 150 a, may becapable of storing e-mail messages with or without attachments, textmessages including, for example, short messages, instant messages, andMOBITEX messages, enhanced messages including, for example, ETSImessages, EMS messages, and NOKIA smart messages, multimedia messagesincluding, for example, text, fax, icons, logos, animations, music,photos, media clips, or any combination of the above.

[0209] The MDS may be able to store data in a MIME or XML format.Messages may also be popped up to an external e-mail server. In thismanner, a message stored at the direction of a DART, such as DART1 145a, in a database, such as MDS 150 a, in MIME format could be transmittedto an external device through ARC translation. Additionally, messagescan be stored, for example, in a linked list format.

[0210] MDS elements 150 a, 150 b, and 150 c, may be capable of storingmessages in any convenient data format. This message storage may becapable of supporting any number of various communications protocols. Inaddition to MIME format, numerous other data storage formats known tothose skilled in the art may be used consistently with the principles ofthe present invention. In addition, data may be stored in MDS 150 a-c,on a per transaction basis to decrease the storage requirements formultiple devices or destinations.

[0211] MDS may be scaleable. For example, MDS 150 a may be expandablebeyond an initial data storage capability. Further, additional MDSs (notshown) may be added to the backbone data store transport 105 to provideadditional storage capability. In this manner, not only are individualMDSs, such as MDS 150 a, scaleable but so too is the storage capacityacross all MDSs in the entire network.

[0212] MDS 150 a, 150 b, and 150 c may provide security features. Forexample, data may be stored in MDS 150 a, 150 b, and 150 c in anyconvenient encrypted format as known in the art. Other exemplaryembodiments of MDS 150 b, for example, may provide for redundancy toensure no loss of data. Further, MDS 150 b may be configured to ensureno duplication of records or data.

[0213] MDS elements 150 a, 150 b, and 150 c may support both long termand transient storage. In this manner, MDS 150 b may contain cachememory or any other sort of transient storage medium. Further, MDS 150 bmay support distributed storage and may provide a storage area networkarchitecture. Long term storage can occur, for example, on a magneticmedium or an optical medium or other media now known or to be developed.The database architecture of MDS 150 a-c, may be based on, for example,a relational model or an object oriented model. Numerous databasestructures are known to those skilled in the art and are possibleimplementations of MDS 150 a-c.

[0214] MDS 150 a-c may provide security features. For example, data maybe stored in MDS 150 a-c in any convenient encrypted format. Otherexemplary embodiments of MDS 150 a-c may provide for redundancy toensure no loss of data. Further, MDS 150 a-c may be configured to ensureno duplication of records or data.

[0215] MDS elements 150 a-c may support both long term and transientstorage. In this manner, MDS 150 a may contain cache memory or any othersort of transient storage medium. Further, MDS 150 a may supportdistributed storage and may provide a storage area network architecture.Long term storage can occur, for example, on a magnetic medium or anoptical medium. The database architecture of MDS 150 a-c may be based ona relational model or an object oriented model. Numerous databasestructures are known to those skilled in the art and are possibleimplementations of MDS 150 a-c.

[0216] In an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of thepresent invention, an MDS may comprise three tables: a message storetable, a message device status table and a transaction data segmenttable. In this example, the message store table, the message devicestatus table and the transaction data segment table are each containedin a relational database. The relational database may be distributedover many different data storage entities and may be implemented in anyconvenient manner. For example, one skilled in the art would be able toimplement the principles of the MDS on an Oracle database product.

[0217] In one embodiment, the message store table is a repository formessage information. The message store table stores a transactionidentifier associated with a message, a message class, a description ofa the message, the number of segments in a multi-segment message,message priority, an originating address, a destination address, a classof service code, message status information, the date the message wassubmitted, a sequence number for the message, and a notification addressfor the message. The message store table has as its primary key amessage identifier. This message identifier, in this example, is aunique string associated with a message.

[0218] In general, the message store table is configured to acceptdetailed information about a message transmitted across a messaginginfrastructure 100. In this example, a unique transaction identifier isassociated with each message. This transaction identifier may be in theform of a string of characters. The message class describes the type ofmessage, such as a proprietary ring tone. For multi-segment SMSmessages, the message store table stores the number of segments in themessage. A message priority, in the form of a flag, may be associatedwith each message. In this manner, priorities may be associated witheach message and delivery schemes may be established based on messagepriority. For example, a priority flag may be set to a priority of“urgent.” In such a case, a message with an associated priority flag setto “urgent” may receive preferential delivery treatment. The originationand destination addresses may be any form of address associated with acommunications device. For example, these addresses could correspond toemail addresses, IP domain names, cellular telephone numbers, faxmachines, pagers, or any other type of communications device.

[0219] The MDS is capable of storing in a common format, such as MIME orXML, messages that are generated on or received by any communicationsdevice. The status information, in this example, tracks the status of amessage. For example, the status information may indicate that a messagewas delivered. A notification address, contained in the exemplaryembodiment of message store table receives an indication that a messagewas delivered.

[0220] The message device status table stores message and deviceinformation. In this example, the message device status table containsdevice type information, a routing identifier, device status, completiondate, query attempts, retry attempts, the number of segments of amulti-segment message that were delivered successfully, and the numberof segments of a multi-segment message that were not deliveredsuccessfully. The device type information, for example, includes thetype of device and any relevant associated characteristics. The routingidentifier, for example, may be a string that denotes a particular routeto be traveled by a message. Device status information may includeinformation about whether a particular device is turned on or is in use.Query attempts and retry attempts, in this example, refer to the numberof query attempts made on a message and the number of attempts made atdelivery, respectively. Likewise, the number of segments of amulti-segment message delivered successfully and unsuccessfully arestored so that multi-segment messages may be properly delivered. In thisexample, the message device status table has as its foreign key amessage identifier. In this manner, the message device status tablereferences message store table for message information.

[0221] The transaction data segment table stores information aboutsegmented messages. In SMS messaging, the maximum length of a messagesegment is typically 160 characters. If an SMS message is longer than160 characters, then it preferably will be stored in more than onesegment. Each segment may be transmitted separately over a network andthen reassembled at a destination. In this example, the transaction datasegment table stores information about the number of segments in amulti-segment message along with the data contained in each segment. Thetransaction data segment table has as its primary key a segmentidentifier and as its foreign key a transaction identifier. In thismanner, the transaction data segment table references message storetable for message information.

[0222] The message store table contains the body of a message in acommon format. This message body, for example, could be the text of anemail message or the coding of a ring tone converted into a commonformat. In one embodiment of the present invention, the message body isassociated with multiple destination addresses without duplication ofthe message body. For example, an SMS message may have as itsdestination numerous devices. Instead of storing the SMS message text ina data structure associated with each of the destination addresses, theSMS message text may be stored a single time and associated with themultiple destination addresses in the message store table. In thismanner, message text is stored only once and the associated information,such as destination addresses, can then be used to reference the messagetext.

[0223] Operation of the DART in Conjunction With the ARC & RAVE

[0224]FIG. 15 illustrates a simplified view of the messaginginfrastructure 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the present invention. DART 145 b is interfaced withnetwork transport bus 125 and backbone data store transport bus 108.Likewise, in this example, DART 145 a interfaces with network transportbus 125 and backbone data transport bus 108. Network transport bus 125interfaces with DART 145 a, DART 145 b, ARC 1 110 a, ARC2 110 b, andRAVE 130. Backbone data store transport bus 108 interfaces with DART1145 a, DART2 145 b, MDS 150 a, MDS 150 b, and MDS 150 c.

[0225] In operation, messages stored on an MDS 150 a-c may flow from theMDS through backbone data store transport bus 108 to an applicable DART145 a or 145 b to network transport bus 125, and then to an applicableARC 110 a or 110 b. Likewise, messages may originate in an applicableARC 110 a or 110 b and then flow to network transport bus 125, anapplicable DART 145 a or 145 b, backbone data store transport bus 108,and an applicable MDS 150 a, 150 b, or 150 c.

[0226] As discussed in previous portions of the detailed discussion, adata storage function may be enabled to trigger storage of messages inan MDS by a DART. An ARC may designate the address of a specific DART,such as DART1 145 a by utilizing “Deliver_Store_Message.DART1”. In thismanner, a point to point communications protocol may be employed.Alternatively, a publish and subscribe protocol may be used in whichcase ARC 110 a simply publishes the new message, for example, with asubject such as “Deliver Store Message.DART*” on network transport 125.Each DART may subscribe to “Deliver_Store_Message” messages.

[0227] In this publish and subscribe system, each ARC element and eachDART connected to network transport 125 receives the new message.Likewise, in this example, the DART will make a storage decision basedon, for example, the DEVICE_TYPE, DESTINATION_ADDRESS, orORIGINATION_ADDRESS associated with the message. In this example, bothARC 110 a and DART 145 a have subscribed for these messages and bothprocess the message. The message processing by DART 145 a and ARC 110 aoccurs in parallel. DART 145 a may then publish the message on backbonedata store transport 108.

[0228] There may be many MDS elements listening for these publishedmessages but only one is configured for the subscriber. MDS 150 b storesthe message at the direction of DART 145 a as the DART 145 a issues an“MDS_STORE.MDS2” on the Backbone DataStore Transport 108. DART 145 a mayalso publish a “Confirm_Store” message along with the transaction ID forthis message on network transport bus 106. ARC2 110 b is listening forthis message, and once it is received, ARC2 110 b may transmit thisconfirmation status to the originator of the message.

[0229] In another example, a wireless subscriber may access a messagethat has already been sent to a destination and can, for example,resend, forward, query, or delete this message. In this example, awireless subscriber sends a request to see the contents of his messagemailbox. This request is sent via ARC2 110 b to network transport 125.ARC2 110 b publishes the request on network transport 125. ARC2 110 bmay append the address of a specific DART to the published request inwhich case a point to point protocol is used. Alternatively, ARC2 110 bmay simply attach a subject such as “Read_Mailbox” to the publishedrequest, without a specific element identified, in which case a publishand subscribe protocol is used.

[0230] The DART associated with the particular subscriber or deviceprocesses the request. DART2 145 b has subscribed to any query requestand therefore receives the request from network transport 125. DART2 145b then republishes this request on backbone data store transport 108.While all of the MDSs may be listening for these types of messages, onlyone MDS, in this case MDS3 150 c, processes the query request. MDS3 150c receives this request because the wireless subscriber who sent thisrequest has his information stored on MDS3 150 c. DART2 145 b may use apoint to point protocol addressing the request specifically to MDS3 150c. Alternatively, DART2 145 b may use a publish and subscribe protocolin which case the request is published on backbone data store transport108 and each MDS listens for the request. Only the MDS associated withthe subscriber, in this case MDS3 150 c, processes the request. MDS3 150c then publishes the information about this wireless subscriber onbackbone data store transport 108. DART2 145 b receives the informationabout the wireless subscriber from backbone data transport 108. DART2145 b then publishes this information on network transport 125 withaddressing specified for ARC2 110 b, in a point to point protocol.Alternatively, DART2 145 b may employ a publish and subscribe protocol.Since ARC2 110 b has subscribed for this message, it receives theinformation about the wireless subscriber, performs any translationfunctions that may be necessary, and displays the results to thewireless subscriber. In that manner, information stored in MDS3 150 ccan be retrieved and forwarded to a wireless subscriber.

[0231] In yet another example of the operation of an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, a wireless subscriber may submit arequest to cancel a message that is set for delivery. In that case, awireless subscriber has received information about his current pendingmessages. The subscriber sees one message that is marked for deliverythat he wishes to cancel so he sends a “cancel message” request. Thiscancel message request is sent from ARC2 110 b over network transportbus 125. ARC2 110 b transforms the cancel message request into a requestthat is published on network transport 125. This published request, forexample, may contain the transaction ID, the subscriber ID, and thedevice type. ARC1 110 a has subscribed to any cancel message requests.ARC1 110 a receives this cancel message request and converts it into theproper format for the other elements of the wireless network. Both ARC2110 b and DART1 145 a are listening for this request. DART1 145 a thenpublishes this request on backbone data store transport 108. Each MDSlistens for these types of requests. MDS1 150 a responds to the requestbecause MDS1 150 a has this particular wireless subscriber's data storedin its data storage mechanism. After MDS1 150 a receives the request,MDS1 150 a returns the requested data and publishes it on the backbonedata store transport 108. MDS1 150 a may then delete the message. DART1145 a receives the requested data and publishes the requested data onnetwork transport 125. ARC2 110 b, since it subscribes to this requesteddata, receives the requested data, performs any translation functions,and returns the requested data to the wireless subscriber.

[0232] In still yet another example, a wireless subscriber may wish toaccess a message from an external IMAP/POP client. A wirelesssubscriber's user name and password may be used for validation. The RAVEentity may be responsible for validating the particular wirelesssubscriber. A wireless subscriber sends a request to retrieve externalmessages from an IMAP/POP mail server. This request is received by ARC2110 b which may, in turn, perform translation functions. After anytranslation functions, ARC2 110 b publishes the request on networktransport 125. The request may be published in the form of an updatemessage request.

[0233] DART1 145 a subscribes to such “update message requests.” DART1145 a receives this “update message request.” Upon receiving this updatemessage request, DART1 145 a publishes on network transport 125 a “getsubscriber mail information” request. RAVE 130 subscribes to getsubscriber mail information request messages and receives this message.RAVE 130 searches applicable databases, such as RVDB 135 for appropriatewireless subscriber information. RAVE 130 then publishes thisinformation on network transport 125. In this manner, RAVE 130 places onnetwork transport 125 various information about a wireless subscriber,such as the wireless subscriber's user name, alias, preferences, andpossible destination addresses.

[0234] DART1 145 a subscribes to the information placed on networktransport 125 by RAVE 130. DART1 145 a receives this information and inresponse publishes a “get external e-mail request” on network transport125. ARC2 110 b is associated with an IMAP/POP server (not shown) and tothat extent, ARC2 110 b may perform various translation functions forthe IMAP/POP server. ARC2 110 b subscribes to get external e-mailrequests and therefore receives this request and its accompanyinginformation and forwards the request to an IMAP/POP server (not shown)which retrieves the information from an external storage device. Thisretrieved information, which for example could be an e-mail message, isreceived by ARC2 110 b for any necessary translation. After ARC2 110 bperforms necessary translation functions on the external mail message,ARC2 110 b publishes this email message on network transport 125.

[0235] In this example, DART2 145 b subscribes to such external mailmessages. DART2 145 b receives the external message from networktransport 125 and publishes the external mail message on backbone datastore transport 108. All of the MDSs listen for external mail messagessuch as that placed on backbone data store transport 108 by DART2 145 b.MDS2 150 b contains information about the wireless subscriber andtherefore receives the external mail message attributable to thatwireless subscriber. MDS2 150 b receives the external mail message frombackbone data store transport 108. MDS2 150 b then updates its datastorage with the external mail message that it received from backbonedata store transport 108. The wireless system may be configured suchthat one DART subscribes to new message requests while another DARTsubscribes to update requests.

[0236] After MDS2 150 b has received the last external e-mail message,DART2 145 b may then publish on network transport 125 a sub-messages POPmessage which may also contain subscriber identification. ARC1 110 asubscribes to receive this type of message which would contain theinformation about the external mail message. Accordingly, in thisexample, ARC1 110 a receives this information and the accompanyingexternal mail message, performs any translation that may be necessary,and then returns the external mail message to the wireless subscriber.

[0237] In another example, a class of service associated with a messagemay not allow the body of the message itself to be read. In such a case,ARC1 110 a may return only a description of the message. For example, awireless subscriber may request that a ring tone be forwarded from anexternal IMAP/POP server. In such a case, ARC2 110 b receives thisrequest and, through the previously described method, publishes arequest on network transport 125. A field associated with this messagemay indicate that it is a proprietary ring tone. If this is the case,ARC1 110 a, may return to the wireless subscriber a message indicatingthat the proprietary ring tone may not be forwarded.

[0238] In yet another example, a DART entity may allow a wirelesssubscriber to POP a message through an external IMAP/POP client. Awireless subscriber may be able to download an external messagedescription or the whole message itself based on an associated class ofservice code.

[0239] In this example, a wireless subscriber requests a description ofall messages stored on an IMAP/POP server. ARC1 110 a receives thisrequest and transforms it into a publish request which is published onnetwork transport 125. DART1 145 a has subscribed to this publishrequest and receives the request from network transport 125. DART1 145 atransforms this request into a query that is then published on backbonedata store transport 108. In this case, MDS2 150 b has subscribed forqueries and receives the query from backbone data store transport 108.Upon receiving the query, MDS2 150 b processes the request to return thesubscriber's messages. For example, MDS2 150 b may be able to receive aquery from backbone data store transport 108 and, through associatedfunctions, search its associated database or databases for contentsrelevant to the query.

[0240] MDS2 150 b contains all messages associated with the wirelesssubscriber. MDS2 150 b, after processing the query, returns theinformation to backbone data store transport 108. DART2 145 b hassubscribed to receive this information and receives it from backbonedata store transport 108. DART2 145 b may then forward this informationto network transport 125. ARC1 110 a, associated with an IMAP/POPserver, has subscribed to receive this information. After receiving theinformation, ARC1 110 a transforms the information to POP responses andforwards them through the server to the IMAP/POP client of the wirelesssubscriber.

[0241] In yet another example of the operation of the communicationssystem, a wireless subscriber may receive a value added message. A valueadded message service generates a new message for a subscriber. Thevalue added message service may need confirmation of message delivery sothat the wireless network provider can bill the wireless subscriber. Assuch, a short message peer to peer primitive with a registered deliveryflag is sent to ARC1 110 a. In this example, ARC1 110 a extracts thedestination address, origination address, and any additional informationnecessary, and then publishes a subscriber look-up on network transport125. If any passwords are required for a destination or distributionlist, then these can also be sent in a query published on networktransport 125. RAVE 130 has subscribed for these subscriber look-uprequests. RAVE 130 receives the look-up requests and performs an aliaslook-up and a validation request to connected routing and validationdatabases and user alias databases. This alias look-up and validationrequest may be performed using a publish and subscribe protocol or anyother convenient protocol.

[0242] RAVE 130 then publishes the extracted list, the associated devicetypes, any disallowed destinations, and any other pertinent informationto the originating ARC, in this case ARC1 110 a, in the destinationfield. RAVE 130 publishes this information on network transport 125 withits destination as ARC1 110 a. In another aspect, RAVE 130 publishesthat information on network transport 125 with a subject to which allARCs subscribe. RAVE 130 may use a publish and subscribe protocol tocommunicate with ARC1 110 a and other ARC entities. ARC1 110 a hassubscribed to this information and receives the list, device type,disallowed destinations, and other information and proceeds to publishon network transport 125 the message data with the extracteddestinations and associated device types. ARC1 110 a may also returnfailed destinations to the originating value added message service.

[0243] DART1 145 a and ARC2 110 b have subscribed for this message. Forexample, a device type of SMSC associated with ARC2 110 b may beincluded in the destination. ARC2 110 b may then convert this message toan SNPP and perform any transformations required based on message type,device type, and SMSC type. DART1 145 a, via backbone data storetransport 108, may then publish this message to MDS1 150 a for storage.MDS1 150 a stores the message. MDS1 150 a may return the confirmation ofstorage by publishing it on backbone data store transport 108. DART1 145a, by subscribing to confirmation messages, receives the confirmationand publishes it on network transport 125. ARC1 110 a, by subscribing tothis type of confirmation message, receives the confirmation messagefrom network transport 125. A confirmation is then forwarded frommessage data store transport 116, via backbone data store transport 108,DART1 145 a, and network transport 125, to ARC1 110 a via a publish andsubscribe protocol, point to point protocol, or any other convenientmethod.

[0244] The SMSC acknowledges receiving the SMPP message and returns anacknowledgement. ARC2 110 b, associated with the SMSC, publishes thisacknowledgement on network transport 125. DART2 145 b listens for thisacknowledgment and, based on the originating address, adds thisacknowledgement to the stored transaction in MDS1 150 a. This can occur,for example, by DART2 145 b receiving from network transport 125 theacknowledgement and then publishing the acknowledgement on backbone datastore transport 108. MDS1 150 a, because it subscribes to theacknowledgment associated with this particular wireless subscriber,receives the acknowledgement and adds it to the stored transaction.

[0245] MDS1 150 a may then return a completed transaction message bypublishing it on backbone data store transport 108. DART2 145 b may thenreceive this completed transaction message and publish it on networktransport 125. The completed transaction message may then be received byARC2 110 b associated with the SMSC. In this manner, the SMSC canreceive confirmation of delivery and generate a receipt. This receiptmay then proceed through ARC2 110 b to network transport 125. ARC2 110b, after performing any necessary translation functions, may publish thereceipt on network transport 125. DART2 145 b, has subscribed to receivethe receipt published on network transport 125. DART2 145 b, afterreceiving the receipt, publishes it on backbone data store 108. MDS1 150a, because it is associated with a particular wireless user, adds thereceipt to the message transaction. The status of the message can beupdated in MDS1 150 a.

[0246] Operation of the DART

[0247]FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of a DARTelement consistent with the principles of the present invention. TheDART element is capable of performing several different functions. Forexample, store, query, cancel, external mail access, among others,related to the storage and maintenance of messages.

[0248] At stage 1605, a DART element receives a request from the networktransport bus. This request may be specifically addressed to aparticular DART in a point to point protocol or may contain a subjectheader in a publish and subscribe protocol. Upon receiving the request,the DART element then determines which function to execute. At stage1610, the DART element determines whether the request is a storerequest. Typically, a string of characters in the request heading or therequest itself denominates the type of request. For example, a requestcontaining the string “DELIVER_STORE” indicates that the request is todeliver a message and to store it. In another example, the string“STORE” contained in a request indicates to a DART entity that therequest is a store request.

[0249] If the DART entity determines that the request is a storerequest, then the DART entity performs a store function as indicated instage 1615. If the request is not a store request, then the DART entityproceeds to stage 1620 to determine if the request is a query request.Like the store request, the DART entity examines the request, forexample, for the string “QUERY.” If the request is a query request, thenthe DART entity performs a query function as depicted in stage 1625. Ifnot, the DART entity proceeds to stage 1630 to determine if the requestis a cancel request. If it is, then the DART entity performs a cancelfunction as depicted in stage 1635. If not, the DART entity, as depictedin stage 1640, determines whether the request is an external mailrequest. If it is, then the DART entity performs an external mailfunction. If not, then the DART entity, as illustrated in stage 1650,determines if the request is any other type of request. If it is, thenthe DART entity performs the requested function. Otherwise, the DARTentity performs an error handling function.

[0250] In this manner, the DART entity determines the type of requestand performs the associated function. FIG. 16 is merely an example of afew different types of functions performed by the DART entity as manyother functions are within the scope of the present invention. Forexample, the DART entity may perform specific lookup requests byaccessing an associated MDS and returning specific data. Likewise, inerror handling stage 1660, the DART entity may perform severaldifferent, error related, functions; for example reporting an error toother network entities such as the LAMB.

[0251]FIG. 17 illustrates the receipt of a request by a DART entityconsistent with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 17 is anexemplary embodiment of stage 1605 of FIG. 16. At stage 1705, a monitordaemon in the DART monitors traffic on the network transport bus. Atstage 1710, the daemon examines a header of a message on the networktransport bus to determine if the subject heading is one that is for aDART. For example, the subject heading may contain the string, “STORE”which indicates that the request is a store request to be handled by aDART. If the subject address is not a DART subject address, then theDART daemon continues to monitor traffic on the network bus. If thesubject address is a DART subject, then the DART parses the request asillustrated in stage 1715.

[0252] At stage 1720, the DART determines whether the request contains aDART specific address. For example, a request may contain a subjectfollowed by a specific DART address such as “ . . . STORE.DART1 . . . .”In this case, the specific DART address is “DART1” which indicates thatthe request is directed specifically to the addressed DART, DART1. Ifthe request does not contain a specific DART address, then the requestis assigned to an available DART entity. In alternate embodiments, thefirst DART to receive the request processes it. In yet anotherembodiment, the assignment of a request to a DART may be based upon realtime loading information. If the request contains a DART specificaddress, then the addressed DART reads the request as depicted in stage1730.

[0253] Likewise, after a request is assigned in stage 1725, a DART readsthe request in stage 1730. The DART then parses the request asillustrated in stage 1735. In parsing the request, the DART may stripout a subject heading, addressing information, and message content. Theflow then proceeds to the determination of the function requestexplained with regard to FIG. 16.

[0254]FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a DARTentity performing a store function (1615 in FIG. 16) consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. In exemplary stage 1805, the DARTreceives from the network transport the message that is to be stored.The DART, as depicted in decision block 1810, examines the messageheader, content, or appended information to determine if it contains anaddress for a specific MDS. For example, a header contained with themessage may contain the address of a specific MDS, such as “MDS1.” Ifthe message header, content, or appended information does not contain aspecific MDS address, then the DART, as illustrated in stage 1820,determines which MDS is to store the message.

[0255] The DART accomplishes the assignment function in any of a numberof ways. For example, the DART may store the message on an MDS thatcontains the messages for a particular subscriber. If the messageheader, content, or appended information contains a specific MDSaddress, then the DART, as illustrated in stage 1830, places the messageon the backbone datastore transport. Likewise, after assigning an MDS instage 1820, the DART places the message on the backbone datastoretransport as depicted in stage 1830. The message is received and storedby the designated MDS in stage 1835. In stage 1835, the MDS stores themessage and any accompanying information in a storage device.

[0256] In stage 1840, the DART produces a confirmation message andpublishes it on the network transport. For example, in the case of astore request, the DART produces a confirmation message indicating thatthe message has been stored. In exemplary stage 1845, the DART receivesfrom the network transport an update message request. In one embodimentof the present invention, this update message request may containdelivery information for the message. For example, if the message is thesubject of a “DELIVER_STORE” request, then a delivery confirmation mayaccompany the update message request to indicate that the message hasbeen delivered. In stage 1850, the DART places the update information onthe backbone datastore transport. In stage 1855, the same MDS thatstored the message receives and stores the update information.

[0257]FIG. 19 illustrates a query request (1625 in FIG. 16) performed bya DART entity consistent with the principles of the present invention.In exemplary stage 1905, the DART receives a query request from thenetwork transport. The DART, as depicted in decision block 1910,examines the request header, content, or appended information todetermine if it contains an address for a specific MDS. For example, aheader accompanying the request may contain the address of a specificMDS, such as “MDS1.” If the request header, content, or appendedinformation does not contain a specific MDS address, then the DART, asillustrated in stage 1920, determines which MDS to query.

[0258] The DART accomplishes this function in any of a number of ways.For example, the DART may query the MDS that contains the messagesassociated with a particular subscriber. If the request header, content,or appended information contains a specific MDS address, then the DART,as illustrated in stage 1930, places the request on the backbonedatastore transport. Likewise, after determining which MDS to query instage 1920, the DART places the request on the backbone datastoretransport as depicted in stage 1930. The request is received by thedesignated MDS in stage 1935. In stage 1935, the MDS accesses therequested information from a storage device. In stage 1940, therequested information retrieved from the MDS is placed on the backbonedatastore transport. In stage 1945, the DART receives the requestedinformation and, in stage 1950, places the requested information on thenetwork transport.

[0259]FIG. 20 illustrates a cancel request (1635 in FIG. 16) performedby a DART entity consistent with the principles of the presentinvention. In exemplary stage 2005, the DART receives a cancel requestfrom the network transport. The DART, as depicted in stage 2010,examines the request header, content, or appended information todetermine if it contains an address for a specific MDS. For example, aheader accompanying the request may contain the address of a specificMDS, such as “MDS1.” If the request header, content, or appendedinformation does not contain a specific MDS address, then the DART, asillustrated in stage 2020, determines which MDS contains the messagethat is to be canceled. If the request header, content, or appendedinformation contains a specific MDS address, then the DART, asillustrated in stage 2030, places the request on the backbone datastoretransport.

[0260] Likewise, after determining which MDS contains the message to becanceled in stage 2020, the DART places the request on the backbonedatastore transport as depicted in stage 2030. The request is receivedby the designated MDS in stage 2035. In stage 2040, the DART updates thecorresponding record in the MDS with the cancel message information. Forexample, the DART, in accessing the MDS with the particular message, maydelete the message from the MDS or may store information on the MDSindicating that the message is a canceled message. In stage 2045, theDART generates a confirmation message. This confirmation message, forexample, contains information indicating the successful cancellation ofthe message. In stage 2050, the confirmation message is placed on thenetwork transport.

[0261]FIG. 21 illustrates an external mail request (1645 in FIG. 16)performed by a DART entity consistent with the principles of the presentinvention. In exemplary stage 2105, the DART receives an external mailrequest from the network transport. In this example, a subscriberrequests a message from a device external to the wireless network. Uponreceiving this request, the DART places a get subscriber data request onthe network transport as illustrated in stage 2110. In stage 2115, theDART receives the requested subscriber information from the networktransport. For example, the DART may request and receive an externalemail source for a particular subscriber. In stage 2120, the DART placesa get external mail request on the network transport. In formulatingthis request, the DART uses subscriber information it obtained from thenetwork transport.

[0262] After sending the get external mail request, the DART receivesthe external mail from the network transport in stage 2125. In stage2130, the DART places the external mail on the backbone datastoretransport, and in stage 2135, the MDS receives and stores the externalmail. For example, the DART may direct storage of the external mail onan MDS that contains other messages associated with a particularsubscriber. In stage 2145, the DART determines if there is additionalexternal mail that needs to be received. If so, then the DART receivesthe external mail (stage 2125), places it on the backbone datastoretransport (stage 2130), and stores the mail in an MDS (stage 2135). Ifin stage 2145 no additional mail exists, then the DART places a submessages popped message on the network transport as depicted in stage2150. The DART, in stage 2155, places the external mail messages on thenetwork transport.

[0263]FIG. 22 illustrates a method for limiting access to a proprietaryfile such as a ring tone. In stage 2202, a subscriber requests downloadsa proprietary file from a third party content provider. In this example,the download is requested by a subscriber from a device that operates onthe network. For example, a subscriber may attempt to download aproprietary midi file, graphics file, or ring tone from a contentprovider's internet site to a cellular phone. In another example, asubscriber may attempt to download a proprietary file using his personalcomputer. The proprietary file may contain copyrighted material, andtherefore the subscriber may be able to purchase the proprietarydownload but may not copy otherwise. The requested file itself can be inany convenient format.

[0264] The network detects the proprietary nature of the requested filein stage 2204. This detection occurs, for example, when the incoming ARCreads the origination address of the download and accesses a database ofknown providers of proprietary files. In a further aspect of theinvention, the RAVE or DART entities may read the origination addressand compare it to addresses of content providers, for example, stored inan RVBD, UADB, or MIND database. In another example, the networkprovider may have agreements with third party content providers underwhich the proprietary nature of a download is communicated to thenetwork. This communication can be appended to the download itself orcan be sent separately, for example, with a transaction identifier. Inanother embodiment, the various entities of the network, such as theARC, RAVE or DART, may strip off a header from the incoming downloadedfile, parse out information in that header, and determine that thedownload is proprietary. In yet another aspect of the invention, thecontent of the download itself may be checked for proprietary materialagainst a set of commonly known proprietary objects.

[0265] The network itself may have access to a content provider'sproprietary ring tones so that they can be compared to ring tones beingdownloaded by subscribers. In such a case, an incoming ARC is capable ofdetecting ring tone files and converting them into a standard format,such as MIME or XML. In other embodiments of the invention, othernetwork entities, such as the DART or the RAVE, may be capable ofascertaining that a particular downloaded file is a ring tone file.

[0266] In stage 2206, the incoming ARC translates the proprietary fileinto a common format such as MIME or XML. This translation function isperformed so that the file can be stored in a database residing withinthe network. For example, as depicted in stage 2208, a DART entitystores the converted downloaded file and accompanying information in anMDS. The file is stored in the MDS associated with a particularsubscriber or device. The file may be stored in a field in a table of adatabase. Various storage methods, previously described, implement therouting and storage of the proprietary file. For example, the ARC thattranslates the file into a common format may publish the file, alongwith subject information, on a network transport. A DART associated withthat type of file or device or that particular subscriber receives thefile from a network transport. The DART then stores that file along withaccompanying information in an MDS. As noted, the routing of the filefrom the ARC to the MDS may occur with a publish and subscribe protocolor with a point to point protocol.

[0267] In stage 2210, a flag contained in an MDS is associated with thefile. This flag, for example, may be a flag that denotes that the fileis copyrighted. In this manner, a copyright flag, contained in an MDSdatabase, can be set to indicate that the file is copyrighted. The datastructure may be implemented to contain a copyright flag. In anotherembodiment, the message class portion or the class of service portion ofthe message store table may be used to indicate that a file isproprietary. The file and associated flag, for example, are storedtogether in the same database along with other message information. Forexample, a DART associated with the MDS containing a particularsubscriber's messages stores the proprietary file, in common format, inthe message store stable. The DART, in this example, also storesinformation about the message in the fields depicted in the tables. Forexample, the DART stores a description of the file, a transactionidentifier, the number of segments, and other information associatedwith the file in the message store table. In a similar manner, the DARTstores device-type information in a message portion of a device statustable. In this embodiment of the invention, the file itself along withaccompanying identifying information is stored in an MDS.

[0268] As shown in the examples of stages 2212 and 2214, when asubscriber attempts to access the proprietary file stored in an MDS, thenetwork limits the access to that file. In one embodiment of theinvention, the DART entity recognizes the proprietary or copyright flagassociated with the file and sends a communication directing otherelements of the network to block certain functions such as the forwardfunction. For example, a subscriber may have purchased the use of aproprietary file for a particular device. The subscriber stores the filein the network and accesses it from that particular device. The devicecould be a pager, cellular phone, personal computer, or any other devicethat interfaces with the network. As such, the device may have thecapability of forwarding messages. If the subscriber attempts to forwardthe message from one device to another, the forward function is blockedby the network. In this manner, the network preserves the proprietarynature of the file. This blocking is accomplished, for example, bynetwork elements such as the ARC, RAVE, or DART that recognize theproprietary or copyright flag associated with the file. In such a case,these elements block certain functions, such as send, forward, or copy,so that the proprietary file is not duplicated.

[0269] In other embodiments, other network entities may be tasked withlimiting access to the proprietary file. For example, the outgoing ARCmay recognize the proprietary or copyright flag and block certainfunctions. In one example, a subscriber seeks to access a proprietaryfile from a personal computer connected to the Internet. The subscriberaccesses the network via the Internet. As previously described, asubscriber can list messages stored in an MDS on a web page displayed onthat subscriber's personal computer. In one embodiment of the invention,a proprietary file may only be listed by name on the displayed web pagewith a notice that it is improper to copy the file. The web page maythus limit the subscriber access to the file. For example, a subscribermay only be able to view the file and not copy it. In this manner, aread only copy of the file may be transmitted from the MDS, through anassociated DART, through an ARC for translation and out to a web page.In another embodiment, the web page may block other functions such asthe forward or send functions.

[0270] In another embodiment, a subscriber may have downloaded aproprietary ring tone to his cellular phone. Since cellular phones havea limited amount of memory, the subscriber may store the ring tone onthe network, for example in an MDS, for later use on the same phone. Thesubscriber, using the same phone, may then access the ring tone at alater date and reload it onto that phone. An MDS stores the ring toneitself and other information such as the device to which it was firstdownloaded. In this manner, the ring tone is associated with aparticular device—in this case the cellular phone to which it wasinitially downloaded. Therefore, the network, in this example can limitaccess to the ring tone only to the phone to which is was initiallydownloaded. However, if the subscriber attempts to load the ring tone ona different device, the information stored in the MDS permits thenetwork to block access to the ring tone by that different device. Inthis manner, the network preserves the proprietary nature of a file.

[0271]FIG. 23 depicts a method for handling attachments to messages. Instage 2302, a message addressed to a subscriber's wireless devicecontains an attached file. For example, an email message with anattachment is sent to a subscriber on his cellular phone, pager,blackberry, or other wireless device. In this example, the attachmentcould be a Microsoft Word document, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, AutoCADdrawing, or any other type of file that may not be capable of beingdisplayed on the wireless device. In such a case, the wireless devicemay not able to handle the attached file.

[0272] In stage 2304, the wireless network detects the attachment. Thisdetection may be accomplished by numerous entities of the wirelessnetwork such as an ARC, a RAVE, or a DART. In one embodiment, an ARCentity upon receiving the message and attached file detects the presenceof the attached file. In another embodiment, the Mail Transfer Agent(MTA) or Mail Transfer Gateway (MTG) detects the attached file uponreceipt of the message and attached file from the Internet. In yetanother embodiment, a DART detects the attached file in the process ofstoring the message and attached file on an MDS.

[0273] The detection of the attached file, regardless of the entityresponsible for detecting it, may be accomplished in numerous ways. Inone example, the header of the message is read to discover that a fileis attached. For example, an email message may contain a Microsoft Worddocument as an attachment. Information about the presence of theattachment may be incorporated into the header of the email message. Anetwork entity, such as an ARC, DART, or MTA, in this example, reads andinterprets the message header. In this manner, the network entitydetects the presence, and possibly the type, of the attachment. Inanother embodiment, a network entity determines the size of the incomingmessage and attachment. Since many attachments are large, the networkentity may assume that any incoming message that is of a sufficient sizecontains an attachment. For example, an email message may contain apicture attachment that is two megabytes in size.

[0274] The network entity, such as an ARC, DART, MTG, or MTA, thatreceives the email message and attachment may be able to estimate thesize of the attachment. In yet another embodiment, a network entity mayread the attachment itself to discover its type. In this example, theARC that receives the message and attachment converts both into astandard format such as MIME or XML for storage on the network. Thereceiving ARC in translating the attachment reads the type ofattachment. For example, an ARC that receives an email message with aMicrosoft Excel spreadsheet as an attachment converts that email messageto a common format. In addition, that ARC or another ARC thatspecifically handles an attachment of that type converts the attachmentto a common format for storage in an MDS.

[0275] In yet another embodiment of the invention, a network entity,such as an ARC, RAVE, DART, MTG, or MTA, detects the type of attachment.In this example, a message with an attachment is received by a networkentity. That network entity detects the attachment type, for example, byreading the message header, reading the message itself, reading theattachment, reading information associated with the message, readinginformation associated with the attachment, or in any other convenientmethod. In this example, the network ascertains the type of attachmentso that it can be sent to the proper forwarding address.

[0276] In stage 2306, the wireless network accesses the subscriber'sinformation for a forwarding address. In this example, a network obtainsthe forwarding address from a database residing on, the network. Forexample, a RAVE entity may access a UADB or RVDB for the forwardingaddress associated with that subscriber.

[0277] In one aspect of the invention, a subscriber is able to associatedifferent forwarding addresses with different types of attachments. Forexample, a subscriber may associate a fax machine for attachments thatcontain text and a color printer for attachments that contain pictures.The attachment may be automatically forwarded back or pre-programmedinstructions. In another embodiment, a subscriber may be able todesignate a forwarding address after being notified by the network thathe has received a message with an attachment. In this manner, thenetwork may inform the subscriber, possibly on his wireless device, thathe has received a message with an attachment of a certain type. Thenetwork, via one or more of its entities, may then prompt the subscriberfor a forwarding address. This address can be in the form of an aliasstored in an database residing on the network. For example, a subscriberis sent a message with a database attachment. The network informs thesubscriber of the message and the attachment type and prompts thesubscriber for a destination address. This prompt, for example, appearson the subscriber's pager. The subscriber sees the prompt and enters asa forwarding address the alias “fax.” The wireless network recognizesthe alias “fax” as a specific address associated with the subscriber'sfax hook. In one embodiment, the wireless network accesses asubscriber's profile information stored in a UADB, RVDB, or MIND andretrieves the forwarding address associated with the alias “fax.” Theattachment is then forwarded to the subscriber's fax hook.

[0278] In stage 2308, a DART entity stores the message and attachment inan MDS. In one embodiment of the invention, the message and attachment,converted into a common format by an ARC, is published on a networktransport. A DART associated with the subscriber, for example, receivesthe message and attachment and then stores it in an associated MDS. Asdetailed previously, the message may occupy one portion of an MDS, theattachment may occupy another portion of the MDS, and accompanyinginformation may be associated with the message and attachment in theMDS. For example, the attachment type may be stored in the MDS alongwith the attachment.

[0279] In stage 2310, the message and attachment are sent to theforwarding address. In one aspect of the invention, the message andattachment are retrieved from an MDS and published on the networktransport by the DART with a forwarding address. An ARC receives themessage, attachment, and forwarding address and performs translationfunctions. The receiving ARC is associated with the particular device towhich the message and attachment are forwarded. For example, the networkmay contain an ARC that performs translation functions associated with afax machine. In this manner, an attachment may be converted by an ARCfrom a standard format, such as MIME or XML, into a format suitable fora fax machine. In this case, the subscriber is forwarding the attachmentto a fax machine. After translation, the ARC, for example, sends thetranslated attachment to an MTA along with the forwarding address. TheMTA may then send the attachment, in a suitable format, to the faxmachine.

[0280] In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, anattachment may be held in the MTA and not translated into a commonformat. For example, an incoming email message with an attachment may bestored temporarily in an MTA. The message itself may be sent to an ARCfor translation. The message, but not the attachment is processed by thenetwork. An ARC receives the message, translates it, and places it on anetwork transport, for example, with a validation request. A RAVEreceives the validation request and validates the destination addressfor the email message. The email message is properly addressed to asubscriber's wireless device. The RAVE returns a validation response tothe network transport, possibly with the originating ARC as thedestination for the response. In this manner, the communication betweenthe RAVE and the ARC may be based on a point to point protocol. Inanother embodiment, the RAVE may simply publish the response on thenetwork transport with a subject such as “validation response.” In apublish and subscribe protocol, all ARCs connected to the networktransport subscribe to the subject “validation response” and all ARCslook at the response. The originating ARC receives the response afterlooking at information the response contains and confirming that theresponse is intended for it.

[0281] After receiving the validation response, the originating ARCpublishes on the network transport a message with the subject “getforward address.” This message is received by a RAVE. The RAVE accessesthe subscriber's profile, stored for example in a UADB or RVDB, toobtain an address to forward the attachment. The RAVE returns theaddress to the originating ARC. The ARC passes the address to the MTA,so that the MTA can forward the attachment to the subscriber's specifiedforwarding address. The attachment is not stored within the network butis instead sent to a device at a forwarding address.

[0282] In stage 2312, the subscriber receives an acknowledgement thatthe attachment has been forwarded. The network has forwarded theattachment and generated an acknowledgement message. Thisacknowledgement message is sent to the subscriber, for example, on hiswireless device. In another embodiment of the invention, a subscribermay be able to designate the type of acknowledgement he receives as wellas the destination for that acknowledgement. The subscriber may receivean acknowledgement message on his wireless device and also at hispersonal email account. In yet another aspect of the current invention,the acknowledgement message may contain information about theattachment, the successful receipt of the attachment by the device towhich it was forwarded, or any other relevant information. In anotheraspect of the invention, the subscriber may not receive anacknowledgement message.

[0283] The Mail Transfer Gateway (MTG)

[0284]FIG. 24 illustrates the Mail Transfer Gateway 170 interfaced tothe messaging infrastructure 100 in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the present invention. Mail transfer gateway 170 interfaces withelements of the messaging infrastructure 100 via network transport bus125 and BITBUS 132. DART 145 a interfaces with MDS1 150 a and MDS 150 bthrough message transport bus 108. Additionally, DART 145 a interfaceswith RAVE 130, ARC1 110 a, and ARC 2440 through network transport bus125. Likewise, MDS1 150 a and MDS 150 b interface with DART 145 athrough message transport 108. Message transport 108 may serve totransfer data from MDS1 150 a and MDS 150 b to DART 145 a. In addition,data can be routed from DART 145 a to MDS1 150 a and MDS 150 b throughnetwork transport 108.

[0285] RAVE 130 interfaces with DART 145 a through network transport bus125. RAVE 130 interfaces with RVDB 135 and RVDB2 2470 through BITBUS132. Network transport bus 125, for example, acts as a communicationschannel between DART 145 a and RAVE 130. Likewise, BITBUS 132 acts as acommunications channel between RAVE 130 and RVDB 135 as well as RVDB22470.

[0286] RVDB 135 and RVDB2 2470 interact with RAVE 130 via BITBUS 132.RVDB 135 and RVDB2 2470 are also interconnected to RAVE 2450 and UADB2460 via BITBUS 132. BITBUS 132 serves as a communications channelbetween RVDBs 136 and 140 and RAVEs 128 and 2450 as well as UADB 2460.

[0287] ARC1 110 a interfaces with DART 145 a via network transport bus125. ARC1 110 a is interconnected to RAVE 130 through network transportbus 125. Network transport bus 125 serves as a communications channelbetween ARC1 110 a and DART 145 a as well as RAVE 130. Additionally,ARC1 110 a interfaces with short message service center 105. In oneembodiment of the present invention, short message service 105 isresponsible for delivering messages to mobile devices using a store andforward approach.

[0288] MTG 170 serves as an e-mail gateway to a data network. Allinbound and outbound customer internet traffic may use mail transfergateway 170.

[0289] MTA 2420 may support SMTP and communicate with other MTAs (notshown) and other e-mail servers (not shown) to send and receive mailmessages to and from the Internet. MTA 2420 may reside outside of anetwork firewall depicted by firewall 2430. In this manner, firewall2430 serves to protect the remainder of the messaging networkinfrastructure 100.

[0290] In one embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, MTA 2420 may perform validation on origination addresses froma RAVE entity such as RAVE 2450 while also performing White list andBlacklist lookups. MTA 2420 may perform some or all of the validationprocedures that, for example, RAVE 2450 may be capable of performing.MTA 2420 may utilize one or more database protocols to validate andreaddress e-mail messages.

[0291] MTA 2420 may perform validating functions using data stored inUADB 2460. UADB 2460 is a replicated database which contains a completeset or a subset of data contained in, for example, the MIND database(shown in FIG. 1). In this example, UADB 2460, which is a replicateddatabase, provides customized message handling information on a persubscriber basis. UADB 2460 may contain, for example, customer aliases,White lists, Blacklists, distribution lists, language filters, messageformatting options, and other aspects of a subscriber's profile.Subscribers may be able to update their profile via an Internet portal,through the subscriber configuration API, or through other means.Consistent with the technology, UADB 2460 may receive updates from othernetwork databases.

[0292] Data contained in UADB 2460 may be stored in a database containedwithin MTA 2420. In that example, UADB 2460 either may not be present ormay be incorporated within MTA 2420. MTA 2420 may be capable of storing(permanently or temporarily) or caching subscriber information. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, MTA 2420 and UADB 2460 maybe separated by firewall 2430 for security purposes.

[0293] MTA 2420 may also provide anti-spamming functions. For example,MTA 2420 may include the capability to allow or bar specific Internet IPaddresses, domains, and hosts from delivering e-mail to MTA 2420. Inthis example, MTA 2420 may be capable of silently dropping incominge-mail messages without further delivery requirements. MTA 2420 may becapable of filtering, reducing, or eliminating unwanted and unsolicitede-mails from reaching messaging subscribers.

[0294] MTA 2420 may support many different anti-spamming techniques. Forexample, MTA 2420 may be capable of validation based upon a sender'se-mail address. In this manner, MTA 2420 may be capable of blocking spammessages from a particular e-mail address. Further, MTA 2420 may becapable of limiting the number of connections made by a host per second.Further, MTA 2420 may be capable of accessing a national database ofknown spammers or other content protection databases. MTA 2420 may becapable of accessing a system-wide Blacklist to deny service topurveyors of spam. MTA 2420 may be capable of protecting existing domainnames of a particular messaging provider. Further, MTA 2420 may becapable of determining and blocking spamming by use of war dialingattacks. In addition, MTA 2420 may be capable of detecting spam messagesbased upon the content of an e-mail using a list of regular expressions.MTA 2420 may be capable of detecting previously unidentified spammessages based upon the volume of similar e-mail from an originatingaddress. Further, MTA 2420 may be capable of verifying the text of ane-mail for spamming by using a check sum or a counter for email textthat is processed, for example, by removing white space, by convertingemail text to lower case, or by common keywords.

[0295] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a messagingsubscriber may be capable of altering his user profile to avoidreceiving spam e-mail messages. MTA 2420 may allow a user to format themessages he receives. For example, a messaging subscriber may not wishto have the header of a text message or e-mail displayed on hismessaging device and may specify such. Other configuration options arewithin the scope of operation of MTA 2420. For example, a messagingsubscriber may also be able to configure the messages he sends so thatthey are also displayed on a receiving device in a particular format.

[0296] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a messagingsubscriber may be able to configure a user profile so that he receivesmessage segments (typically limited to 160 characters) one at a time.This may be advantageous because messaging subscribers are typicallycharged for each segment received. A messaging subscriber who receivesthe first segment of a multi-segment message may not wish to receivesubsequent segments. Thus, by altering the user's profile, MTA 2420 mayprovide that a messaging subscriber receives only the first messagesegment of a multi-segment message.

[0297] In a further embodiment of the present invention, MTA 2420 maysupport and host multiple domain names with each domain providingseparate mail handling capabilities. For example, a domain name may beassociated with a certain set of mail handling rules. These rules, forexample, may include stripping the header information from an e-mailmessage, supplying only the text of an e-mail message with senderinformation, replacing a sender address with an 18-digit address,replacing the entire message text with a canned message depending uponthe address of the sender, or any other mail handling process. Thus, MTA2420 allows the subscriber to get rules for receipt of e-mail based onthe origination address.

[0298] MTA 2420 may provide the ability to allow mobile devices ormessaging devices to reply to e-mail messages. An exemplary embodimentof MTA 2420 may enable a “reply to all” functionality for a two-waymessaging data device. In a further example, MTA 2420 may supportdelivery and read receipts of e-mail messages. In yet another embodimentof the present invention, MTA 2420 may be capable of handling replies tomessages that are addressed to a group.

[0299] In one example, when an e-mail is received, the originator'saddress may be captured by MTA 2420. This origination address may besent via ARC 2440 to network transport bus 125. The final destinationmay reply to this e-mail. Network transport bus 125 may then beconfigured such that this reply message is delivered to the originatingMTG, such as MTG 170. MTG 170 could then extract the original e-mailaddress and forward the e-mail to MTA 2420. From this point, MTA 2420may forward the e-mail through firewall 2410 to the Internet 175.

[0300] In yet another further embodiment of the present invention, MTA2420 may provide the ability to allow a mobile device to send the samemessage to multiple recipients. In this manner, a messaging subscribermay be able to define a distribution list, which may be stored in UADB2460 or its replica, for use by MTA 2420 in sending an e-mail to theInternet 175. A messaging subscriber's distribution list, for example,could be a numeric list, an alphanumeric list, or any other type oflist. For example, a messaging subscriber may denote a particular wordthat can be associated with various destination addresses. Thesedestination addresses could correspond to messaging devices, standardInternet e-mail addresses, or any other message receipt location. Inthis example, when a messaging subscriber uses the specified word insending an e-mail message, that e-mail message could then be sent to allof the destination addresses associated with that word. A messagingsubscriber could denote the word “home” to be associated with threedifferent destination addresses. In this example, when the messagingsubscriber sends a message to “home,” that e-mail message would go tothe three associated destination addresses set forth in the definitionof the “home” group. These destination addresses may correspond to anynumber of similar or distinct devices.

[0301] In a further embodiment of the present invention, MTA 360 mayprovide the ability to readdress outgoing e-mail based upon asubscriber's alias preference which may be contained in UADB 2460. Forexample, a messaging subscriber who sends a message from his messagingdevice may wish to have that message appear as though it came from adifferent origination address. In this manner, an e-mail sent from aparticular messaging device may appear to its recipient to have beensent from a different device, for example, a personal computer insteadof that user's interactive pager.

[0302] MTA 2420 may support standard e-mail protocols, such as SMTP,LDAP, IMAP, or any other e-mail protocol. Further, MTA 2420 may supportstandard API interfaces such as MAPI.

[0303] MTA 2420 may be capable of returning various routing informationabout e-mails. For example, MTA 2420 may provide alias look-up orextraction of destination addresses for a given alias. MTA 2420 mayinterface with UADB 2460 or its replica in order to perform this look-upor extraction function. In another example, MTA 2420 may be capable oflooking up a distribution list. This distribution list may be storedwithin MTA 2420, within UADB 2460, or in any other network database. Inaddition, MTA 2420 may provide e-mail addressing as well as alias ortypes of aliases. In a further embodiment, MTA 2420 may be capable ofextracting validation information for a given destination address. MTA2420 may perform this extraction function by looking up validationinformation on a database such as UADB 2460.

[0304] MTA 2420 may provide an appropriate return message to a sender'semail address depending upon a particular error condition; and in thismanner, provide error handling functions for SMTP and other protocols.In a further aspect of the present invention, MTA 2420 may be capable ofinforming the originator of an email of negative acknowledgements, forexample, by a messaging device or by an Internet e-mail. Further, MTA2420 may be capable of sending error messages received from the Internetback to the originator of the e-mail message. These error messages mayinclude, for example, the cause of the error, the destination, and theoriginal message body. MTA 2420 may also be capable of sending anotification to the e-mail originator that a certain operation, such asa forward or fax operation, has not been successful.

[0305] We prefer that MTA 2420 contain processing rules. For example,MTA 2420 may administer White lists and Blacklists based on userpreferences. Mail transfer gateway 170 may also provide the capabilityof creating and managing a system-wide Blacklist, for example, tocontrol spamming. Mail transfer gateway 170 may also provide thecapability of creating and managing a system-wide White list.

[0306] In one embodiment of the present invention, mail transfer gateway170 may be capable of specifying a future delivery time for e-mailmessages. For example, e-mail messages may be delivered to subscribersas they arrive at MTG 170. MTG 170 may submit e-mail messages to networktransport bus 125 sequentially. In this manner, e-mail messages may bequeued up in the messaging network for transmission to messagingsubscribers. In another embodiment, MTG 170 may be able to scheduledelivery times to messaging subscribers. In this manner, an e-mailmessage received by MTA 2420 may not be delivered immediately to networktransport bus 125, but rather schedule delivery at a specified time. Amessaging subscriber may be able to specify these delivery times.

[0307] MTA 2420 may support virus detection and cleansing for messagingdevices. Further, MTA 2420 may be capable of blocking specific types ofmessages from unknown sites or from specific sites. MTG 170 may supportmultiple NIC cards for additional security. In addition to firewalls2430 and 2410, other security measures may be implemented with MTG 170.

[0308] MTA 2420 may provide the ability to forward a message and anaccompanying attachment to an e-mail address, fax server, or otherdevice. This function is useful if a receiving device is not able toprovide adequate viewing capability for an attachment. The user may sendthe e-mail attachment or the e-mail along with the attachment to anotherdevice to be viewed, printed, or stored. MTA 2420 may be capable ofproviding this forwarding function.

[0309] In a further embodiment of the present invention, MTG 170 mayprovide multiple interfaces between MTA 2420 and various ARC, RAVE, andLAMB entities. A single MTA, such as MTA 2420, may interface withmultiple RAVE, ARC, and LAMB entities. MTA 2420 may support LDAP, workacross a firewall, and use multiple LDAP connections for redundancy.

[0310] MTG 170 and its subcomponent MTA 2420, may support variousprotocols. For example, MTA 2420 may be utilized in conjunction withmultiple WEGs and may support SMTP to SMPP conversion as well asconnection to SMSCs. Further, MTA 2420 may support transformationprotocols such as, for example, SMTP, SMPP, XML, or any other convenientprotocol. In a further embodiment of the present invention, MTA 2420 maybe operational via a Telnet port. Further, MTA 2420 may implement asecure log-in procedure.

[0311] ARC1 110 a and ARC 2440 may forward e-mail messages to networktransport bus 125. In one configuration, the delivering ARC, such as ARC2440, may be aware that these are e-mail destined messages and formatthem accordingly. For example, ARC1 110 a and ARC 2440 may extract adestination address, extract a subject, and extract the body from thetext payload of an SMS message. For SMS messages, the e-mail destinationaddress as defined in Internet standards may be the first continuous setof alphanumeric characters of the message up to the first space orblank. In this manner, ARCs 110 a and 2440 may be able to parse out adestination address from an e-mail.

[0312] ARCs 110 a and 2440 may be capable of formatting an e-mailmessage based on the final destination device type. If a device is anSMS handset that does not support concatenated messages, then ARC1 110 aor ARC 2440 may split the message into segments or truncate the message.If the e-mail message is segmented, then a segment identificationnumber, maximum number of segments, and current segment may be includedin each message for delivery. In this manner, an ARC, such as ARC 2440,may be capable of formatting a segmented message as well as handlingmultiple segments of a multi-segment message. If a messaging device doesnot support e-mail attachments, then an ARC, such as ARC 2440, mayinclude a remark indicating the number and type of attachments. In thismanner, the ARC entity, such as ARC 2440, may be capable of handlingmessage attachments based on particular device types.

[0313]FIG. 25 illustrates a flow chart of the operation of an MTAelement consistent with the principles of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the MTA element is capable of receiving an external messageand performing various functions relating to that message. At stage2510, the MTA receives an external message. This message, for example,is an email message from the internet. At stage 2520, the MTA performs avalidation function on the message. In this manner, the MTA ascertainswhether the message is one that is destined for a subscriber. At stage2530, the MTA performs various anti-spamming functions to prevent thedelivery of unwanted messages. At stage 2540, the MTA optionallyperforms formatting functions on the incoming message. For example, theMTA places the message in a format desired by the subscriber to whom themessage is directed.

[0314]FIG. 26 illustrates the execution of a validation function by anMTA entity consistent with the principles of the present invention. Atstage 2610, the MTA reads the incoming message, and at stage 2620, theMTA parses out an address from the header. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the MTA parses out the destination address from anemail message. In this embodiment, the destination address is in astandard format of username@domainname.com. At stage 2630, the MTAdetermines whether the destination address is valid. For example, theMTA may extract the username and compare it to usernames contained in adatabase of subscribers. In this manner, the MTA determines if thedestination address corresponds to a subscriber so that the message canbe delivered. If it does, then the flow proceeds to stage 2530, performanti-spamming function. If it does not, then the message is dropped asindicated in stage 2640. Optionally, the MTA generates an undeliverablemessage that is returned along with the message itself to theorigination address.

[0315]FIG. 27 is an illustration of an exemplary anti-spamming functionperformed by the MTA consistent with the principles of the presentinvention. At stage 2705, the MTA reads the message, and at stage 2710,the MTA parses out the originating address. At stage 2720, the MTAdetermines if the originating address appears on a blacklist. Byaccessing a system-wide blacklist and/or a subscriber's blacklist todetermine if the originating address is one to which access should bedenied. If the originating address is blacklisted, then access is deniedand the message is not delivered as illustrated in stage 2760.Alternately, the MTA may generate an undeliverable message and return italong with the message itself to the originating address. If theoriginating address is not blacklisted, then the MTA determines whetherthe originating address is the address of a known spammer as depicted instage 2730. By accessing a database of known spammers. If it is, thenthe flow proceeds to stage 2760 and the message is not delivered. If itis not, then the MTA determines if the number of connections from theoriginating address has exceeded a specified amount as illustrated instage 2740. The MTA detects the frequency of contact from a specificoriginating address or domain and blocks access if that frequencyexceeds predefined limits as indicated in stage 2760.

[0316] If the frequency does not exceed the specified limits, then theMTA determines if the message is a spam message based on its content asillustrated in stage 2750 by searching for common words and phrases thatmay indicate a repetitious message. If the MTA determines that themessage is spam based on its content, then the message is not deliveredand access is denied as shown in stage 2760. If not, then the flowproceeds to stage 2540 in which the MTA performs formatting functions.

[0317] Master IT & Network Database (MIND)

[0318] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the MasterIT and Network Database (MIND) is responsible for providing subscriberinformation to other network elements. The subscriber information, forexample, can be used for routing messages, for the validation ofservices, and for enabling other data services.

[0319] In one embodiment of the present invention, the MIND may functionto centralize existing short message service center subscriptiondatabases. In addition, the MIND may provide database replication anddistribution. The MIND may be capable of receiving in bulk existingsubscriber data including, for example, distribution lists, black lists,white lists, and alias addresses. The MIND may also support interactionwith a Routing and Validation Entity (RAVE). MIND may support LDAP asrequired by other components of the wireless infrastructure 100.

[0320] Consistent with the principles of the present invention, oneembodiment of the MIND may act as a central storage database for accountinformation, device information, network information, messagingattributes, and various other information pertinent to wirelesscommunications. The MIND serves as a centralized storage point forvarious wireless subscriber information in a wireless networkarchitecture.

[0321] MIND is scalable, redundant, and expandable. The MIND may becomprised of a single database or a series of interconnected databases.The MIND may be located in any convenient location so that it isaccessible by other elements of the wireless network infrastructure 100.Various database architectures may be used to implement the MIND. Thesearchitectures are within the scope of knowledge available to one skilledin the art.

[0322]FIG. 28 depicts a MIND database 137 in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 28, the MIND database 137 resides within a messaging infrastructure100 and can be implemented with a single database or over multipledatabases. In this example, the MIND database 137 interfaces withinformation technology database business logic 2804. Informationtechnology database business logic 2804 allows access to data stored inthe MIND database 137 by the messaging infrastructure 100. Informationtechnology database business logic 2804 contains business rules and anapplication programming interface to access the data in the MINDdatabase 137. The information technology database business logic 2804interfaces via a communications channel with provisioning system 2808.In addition, information technology database business logic 2804interfaces with web interface 2812 via a communications channel. Dataservice application 2862 may interface with information technologydatabase business logic 2804.

[0323] Web interface 2812 is accessible by subscribers 2858 viacommunications channel 2854. Communications channel 2854 may compriseeither a cable-based or wireless Internet communications channel. Forexample, wireless subscribers 2858 may be able to interface via webinterface 2812 with IT business logic 2804 and MIND database 137 via aweb page on a personal computer. Alternatively, wireless subscribers2858, through wireless communications channel 2854, may be able tointerface with web interface 2812 and IT database business logic 2804,to alter various fields in the MIND database 137. A user friendly webinterface 2812 may be provided for wireless subscribers 2858 toconfigure personal profiles. Web interface 2812 may include applicationsthat utilize subscriber information, such as a customer self-managementsite.

[0324] In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, wirelesssubscribers 2858, via web interface 2812, may be able to alter a userprofile comprising fields of a replica of MIND database 137. In thismanner, wireless subscribers 2858 are blocked from direct access to thecentralized storage facility of MIND database 137. Incremental and bulkupdate methods, described below, may then be used to update MINDdatabase 137 from one or more of its replicas.

[0325] Data service application 2862, in the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 28, may communicate with MIND 137 via web interface 2812 and ITdatabase business logic 2804. Alternately, data service application 2862may interface with MIND database 137 via IT database business logic2804. Data service application 2862 may be a third party applicationthat provides data services to wireless subscribers 2858. These dataapplications may include targeted information, alerts, instant messages,location-based services or other services. Data service application2862, provided by a third party, may use user profiles stored in MIND137 for their data services operations. In this example, a customer maybe able to use the same credentials for user profile information toaccess all data services offered both by a wireless provider and a thirdparty. For example, a username and password may be applicable both to awireless service provider as well as a third party application. Thus, awireless subscriber need only use a single username and password toaccess services of both a wireless service provider and a third party.

[0326] In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, data serviceapplication 2862 may interface with a replica of MIND database 137. Thisreplica may contain all or a subset of subscriber information containedin the fields of MIND database 137. Information such as wireless devicetype and other user preferences may also be used by data serviceapplication 2862 in order to configure the appropriate execution of adata service application.

[0327] In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention,provisioning system 2808 interfaces with information technology databasebusiness logic. Provisioning system 2808 may also interface with abackbone provisioning transport 2816. In this example, provisioningsystem 2808 receives automated notifications of updates to subscriberinformation and relays those updates to replica databases through a datadistributor (not shown). In this manner, provisioning system 2808 servesas a portion of the information technology infrastructure 100 used toupdate replica databases such as network subscriber data replica 2872.

[0328] In this example, backbone provisioning transport 2816 interfaceswith provisioning system 2808. Backbone provisioning transport 2816 mayalso interface with network database business logic adapter 2828.Backbone provisioning transport 2816 acts as a bus for the transfer ofdata contained in the MIND database 137 to replica databases such asnetwork subscriber data replica 2872.

[0329] Network database business logic adapter 2828 interfaces withbackbone provisioning transport. Likewise, network database businesslogic adapter 2828 interfaces with backbone integration transport 132.Network database business logic adapter 2828 uses business rules and anapplication programming interface to access subscriber databases in thenetwork. The business rules and application programming interface ofnetwork database business logic adapter 2828 may be common with those ofIT database business logic 2804. In an alternate embodiment, thebusiness rules and application programming interface of network databasebusiness logic adapter 2828 may be different than those of IT databasebusiness logic 2804.

[0330] Backbone integration transport 132 communicates with networkdatabase business logic 2852, 2864, and 2876. In alternate embodimentsof the present invention, any number of network database business logicmodules, such as network database business logic 2852, may be connectedvia bus connectors to backbone integration transport 132. Backboneintegration transport 132 is a bus that is used to integrateapplications and network elements across the network.

[0331] Network database business logic 2852 communicates with RVDB 135.Network database business logic 2864 interfaces with network subscriberdatabase replica 2872. Network database business logic 2876 interfaceswith network data distributor database 2884. Network database businesslogic 2852, 2864, and 2876 may each contain business rules andapplication programming interfaces that can be used to access subscriberdatabases in messaging infrastructure 100.

[0332] Network data distributor 2884 may contain data structures andcontent that represents wireless subscriber information also containedin the MIND database 137. In this manner, network data distributor 2884may be a replica of all or a subset of the data contained in MINDdatabase 137. In this configuration, network data distributor 2884 maybe the first database in the messaging infrastructure 100 to receiveupdates from the MIND database 137. Network data distributor 2884 relaysand controls the distribution of data updates to other replicas inmessaging infrastructure 100. Network data distributor 2884 may containall or a subset of the data contained in MIND database 137.

[0333] In an exemplary embodiment, network subscriber data replicadatabase 2872 communicates with network database business logic 2864.Network subscriber data replica database 2872 may contain all or asubset of the information contained in MIND database 137. In a similarmanner, RVDB 135 communicates with network database business logic 2852.In this example, RVDB 135 may contain all or a subset of the informationcontained in MIND database 137. These two databases, 135 and 2872, thusact as replicas of at least a subset of the MIND database 137.

[0334] MIND database 137, network data distributor database 2884,network subscriber data replica database 2872, and RVDB 135 may each beaccessible by other components of the network, such as the routing andvalidation entity (RAVE). Likewise any one or all of these databases maybe accessible by outside wireless subscribers 2858 and third party dataservice applications 2862. MIND database 137 and the replica databases,135, 2872, and 2884, may also provide support for other network elementssuch as the RAVE. In one configuration, the RAVE entity may interfaceonly with one of the replica databases, such as the network subscriberdata replica database 2872. In an alternate embodiment, one or all ofthe other network entities, such as the RAVE, may interface directlywith the central MIND database 137. In a further embodiment, replicadatabases may not be necessary so that all data and information isstored in a central MIND database 137. In this configuration, wirelesssubscribers 2858, third party data service application providers 2862,and other network entities such as the RAVE may interface directly withone centralized database, such as the MIND database 137.

[0335] In one embodiment of the present invention, the MIND database137, as well as the replica databases, 135, 2872, and 2884, may all becapable of accepting additional data fields. In this manner, if awireless provider wishes to add an additional data field, for example, adata field describing a feature of a new wireless device, then the MINDdatabase 137, as well as any applicable replica databases such as 135,can be configured to accept the new data field. In this manner, the MINDdatabase 137, as well as the replica databases, 135, 2872, and 2884, ofthe example of FIG. 28 are scalable, both in the number of data fieldswhich they can hold, as well as the amount of subscriber informationthey contain.

[0336] An example of a situation in which a new data field may be addedis when a new wireless service is added to the wireless network. Thedesign of the data fields comprising the customer profile may be able toaccommodate new services by the addition of data fields to both the MINDdatabase 137 and the replica databases, 135, 2872, and 2884. The processof adding a new service may also define how the applications that manageand operate this service will be accessed. Changes to the data fields ofthe MIND database 137 may allow for propagation of these new data fieldsor changes to other replica databases.

[0337] Subscriber databases, such as the central MIND database 137, maybe located both within an information technology infrastructure 100,and, with replicas such as database 135, throughout the messaginginfrastructure 100. The subscriber information may be stored in variousdatabases within the information technology infrastructure 100, andthose databases may be accessed through a set of information technologyapplications, such as electronic bill payment and presentment functions.Within the messaging infrastructure 100, there may be a mastersubscriber database, such as network data distributor database 2884, anda set of replicated subscriber databases such as network subscriber datareplica database 2872. In this example, network data distributordatabase 2884 may be the source repository for data to be replicated toother replica network databases, such as network subscriber data replicadatabase 2872. Each replica database, such as network subscriber datareplica database 2872 may be a subset of the network distributordatabase 2884. In this fashion, network data distributor database 2884could contain all of the data fields contained in MIND database 137.

[0338] In one embodiment of the present invention, MIND database 137 maycontain subscriber profiles, including the necessary information toenable data services. This information may then be replicated throughoutthe messaging infrastructure 100 to other replica databases, such asnetwork subscriber data replica database 2872 via a publish andsubscribe method. Each replica database, such as network subscriberreplica database 2872, may contain a subset of the information containedin the central MIND database 137 depending on the replica database'sfunction. For example, RVDB 135 may contain a replica of a subset of thedata contained in MIND database 137 or in network data distributordatabase 2884. If RVDB 135 is designed to interface with an entity ofthe network, then this database 135 may contain only a subset of theinformation stored in MIND database 137 necessary for the functioning ofthe RAVE entity. Since the RAVE entity validates various messages, theRAVE entity may not need access to all of the data fields contained inMIND database 137 or network data distributor database 2884. In thismanner, RVDB 135 may be a specialized replica database containing asubset of data needed to perform a specific function of the RAVE.

[0339] In a further embodiment of the present invention, networkcomponents, such as the RAVE, that require subscriber profileinformation may consult local replica databases, such as networksubscriber data replica database 2872 for faster access. For example,the various entities of the wireless network, such as the RAVE and theDART, may wish to access data from the central MIND database 137concurrently. Operational efficiencies may be achieved through replicadatabases, such as network subscriber data replica database 2872, inthat various entities, such as the RAVE and the DART, may be able toconsult local replicas rather than having to refer back to a centralMIND database 137. For example, the RAVE, in initially validatingincoming calls, may require various data fields stored in the MINDdatabase 137. If the RAVE is able to access identical data fieldscontained in one more replica databases, then message throughput may beincreased and delays may be decreased.

[0340] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the MINDdatabase 137 or any of the replica databases, such as the networksubscriber data replica database 2872, may allow for the collection ofusage statistics, class of service traffic, types of messages, and othercall traffic information. For example, the collection of these usagestatistics may be delegated to a replica database, such as networksubscriber data replica database 2872, or any other replica database(not shown). In this manner, a replica database 2872 may be tasked withcollecting usage statistics so that the central MIND database 137 is notburdened. In one embodiment of the present invention, data from one ofthe replica databases, such as the network subscriber data replicadatabase 2872 may be passed through various components of the networkback to the central MIND database 137. Alternatively, one of the replicadatabases, such as network subscriber data replica database 2872 mayperform analyses on this usage data and then pass the results back toMIND database 137. In this fashion, two-way communication iscontemplated between MIND database 137 and replica databases 135, 2872,and 2884.

[0341] In a further embodiment of the present invention, updates to datafields of the MIND database 137 may be replicated to replica databases135, 2872, and 2884 at or near real time. Network databases such as theMIND database 137 and replica databases 135, 2872, and 2884, may alsoprovide for automated management, for example, via a simple networkmanagement protocol.

[0342] Network data distributor database 2884, network subscriber datareplica database 2872, and network subscriber data routing andvalidation database 135 may each be stored on a single databasecomponent or over multiple database components. In this manner, theinfrastructure of the MIND database 137 may be similar to theinfrastructure of the replica databases in that any database may bestored in a single component or over multiple components and tables. Inan alternate embodiment, the replica databases, such as networksubscriber data replica database 2872 may be stored on several differenttables and databases distributed throughout the network.

[0343]FIG. 29 illustrates the database business logic component of themessaging infrastructure in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. In this example, database businesslogic 2906 can correspond to IT database business logic 2804, networkdatabase business logic adaptor 2828, network database business logic2852, network database business logic 2864, or network database businesslogic 2876.

[0344] In one embodiment of the present invention, network database 2902interfaces with database business logic 2906. Network database 2902, forexample, could be a MIND database 137 or any one of the various replicadatabases, such as network subscriber data replica database 2872.Accordingly, network database 2902 may possess some of the same featuresof the MIND database 137, or the replica databases 2884, 2872, and 135previously described.

[0345] Database business logic 2906, functionally, may contain variousadaptors such as integration bus adaptor 2908, lightweight directoryaccess protocol (LDAP) adaptor 2910, simple object access protocol(SOAP) adapter 2912, or any other network protocol adaptor 2914. In thisexample, database business logic 2906 communicates with backboneintegration transport 2296 via integration bus adaptor 2908. Likewise,database business logic 2906 interfaces with an LDAP-based client 2918via an LDAP adaptor 2910. Similarly, database business logic 2906communicates with a SOAP client 2920 via a SOAP adaptor 2912.

[0346] Database business logic 2906 accommodates multiple adaptors forvarious applications or infrastructure elements. For example, the RAVEcomponent may be able to access information stored in network database2902 using an LDAP interface to the database. Any of a number ofdifferent existing protocols may be used in conjunction with databasebusiness logic 2906 via various adaptors such as the other protocoladaptor in 2914. For example, the CORBA protocol may be used inconjunction with database business logic 2906 with a CORBA adaptor (notshown).

[0347] In operation, the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 29 allowscommunication between various elements of the network architecture andnetwork database 2902. For example, the RAVE entity or DART entity maybe able to communicate with network database 2902 via network businesslogic 2906 and an appropriate adaptor such as LDAP adaptor 2910. In thismanner, the RAVE entity, for example, may be an LDAP-based client 2918.The various adaptors contained in database business logic 2906, such asthe SOAP adaptor 2912 can contain various communication rules in orderto enable data transfer from network database 2902, for example, to aSOAP client 2920. In a further embodiment of the present invention, anadaptor, such as the SOAP adaptor 2912 may contain various businessrules which would enable communication between a SOAP client 2920 andthe network database 2902.

[0348]FIG. 30 depicts an exemplary embodiment of the MIND database, arelational database comprises numerous tables, each depicted by a box.Each of these tables contains information relevant to a wirelesssubscriber's profile. The title of the table is displayed in the grayarea at the top of each box. The arrows depict the relationship amongthe tables, the abbreviation “PK” stands for primary key, and theabbreviation “FK” stands for foreign key. The relational data structureof FIG. 30 is intended only as an example as numerous otherconfigurations are within the scope and intent of the present invention.

[0349] In the example of FIG. 30, subscriber profile table 3004 storespersonal information associated with a subscriber. This personalinformation, in this example, includes a username, a password, asubscriber's first name, a subscriber's last name, a subscriber's birthdate, an authorization code, the date on which the account was created,the time at which the account was created, a street address, suitenumber, city, state, zip code, country, portal information, defaultdevice identification information, a main email address, direct billinginformation, promotional message information, status information, masteraccount information, termination date, account type, gender, income,profession, personal interests, alerts information, time zoneinformation, credit card information, parental control passwordinformation, land phone information, data phone information, fax phoneinformation, and credit class information.

[0350] All or a subset of this information may be associated with aparticular subscriber. Further, the data structure on which thispersonal information is stored is modifiable so that new information canbe added, old information can be deleted, and information can bemodified. One or more new fields may be added to the subscriber profiletable 3004. This new field (not shown) may then be populated withinformation specific to a subscriber using any convenient method. Asnoted previously, the data structure on which the example of FIG. 30resides is scalable and modifiable.

[0351] A subscriber identification number, uniquely identifying aparticular subscriber, is the primary key of the subscriber profiletable 3004. This primary key is a unique identification string ofcharacters that is associated with a subscriber and may, for example,serves as an account number. The foreign keys contained in subscriberprofile table 3004 include a state identifier, a country identifier, aportal identifier, a default device identifier, a status identifier, amaster account identifier, and an account type identifier. Each of theseforeign keys reference a primary key of a separate table in therelational database structure of FIG. 30.

[0352] Account type table 3008 stores descriptive information about thevarious types of accounts provided by a wireless network provider. Thisinformation, may include the various plan names, the rate structures,quantity of air time, and other aspects of a particular type of wirelessaccount. The primary key of account type table 3008, in this example, isan account type identifier. This account type identifier is also aforeign key in subscriber profile table 3004. Therefore, subscriberprofile table 3004 references account type table 3008 for account typeinformation.

[0353] Portal table 3024 stores portal information including a portaldescription and a portal URL address. The primary key of portal table3024 is a portal identifier. This portal identifier is associated with aunique portal configuration. Other portal configurations would then haveother unique portal identifiers associated with them. The portalidentifier is also a foreign key in subscriber profile table 3004.Therefore, subscriber profile table 3004 references portal table 3024for portal information.

[0354] Account status table 3028 stores account status information. Thevarious account status types, in this example, are stored in accountstatus table 3028. Each account status has an identifier associated withit. The primary key of account status table 3028 is a status identifier.The account status identifier is also a foreign key in subscriberprofile table 3004 and referenced thereby.

[0355] A state table 3030 and a country table 3034 each store state andcountry information respectively. State table 3030 stores the names ofeach state associated with a particular country. State table 3030 has asits primary key a state identifier. Each state identifier is associatedwith a state name. Likewise country table 3034 has as its primary key acountry identifier. Each country identifier is associated with a countryname. In one embodiment, state table 3030 has as its foreign key thecountry identifier. State table 3030 references country table 3034 forcountry information. The state identifier and country identifier arealso foreign keys in subscriber profile table 3004, and thus, subscriberprofile table 3004 references state table 3030 for state information andcountry table 3034 for country information.

[0356] Subscription table 3038 stores subscription information and hasas its primary key a subscription identifier. In addition, subscriptiontable 3038 may have a mobile number as a primary key. In this case, amobile number or a block of mobile numbers may be associated with aparticular subscription. Subscription table 3038 has as foreign keys aservice identifier, a device identifier, and possibly a mobile number.Therefore, subscription table 3038 interfaces with services table 3042,device table 3070, and possibly mobile subscription table 3012 forinformation stored in those tables.

[0357] Mobile subscription table 3012 stores information about a mobilesubscription. Mobile subscription table 3012 contains information aboutthe activation date of a subscription, the deactivation date of asubscription, an old mobile number, a MIN, an IMSI, and statusinformation. Mobile subscription table 3012 has as its primary key amobile number which in this example is a unique identifier. Mobilesubscription table 3012 has as a foreign key a subscriber identifier. Inthis example, the mobile subscription table 3012 references subscriberprofile table 3004 for subscriber information.

[0358] Services table 3042 stores information about services offered bya wireless subscriber. Services table 3042 has as its primary key aservices identifier. Since subscription table 3038 has as its foreignkey services identifier, subscription table 3038 references servicetable 3042 for service information.

[0359] Service attribute table 3046 stores information about theattributes associated with a service. Service attribute table 3046stores information such as an attribute name, an attribute default, anda default value. Service attribute table 3046 has as its primary keys asequence identifier and a service identifier. In this embodiment, theservice identifier is also a foreign key so that service attribute table3046 references services table 3042 for service information.

[0360] Device table 3070 stores information about various devices.Device table 3070 preferably contains information about the make andmodel of a device as well as a description of the variouscharacteristics of that device. Device table 3070 contains a list of allpossible devices used on a wireless network along with basic informationabout them. Device table 3070 has as its primary key a device identifierand has as its foreign key a browser identifier. Since subscriptiontable 3038 and subscriber profile table 3004 have the device identifieras the foreign keys, these two tables reference device table 3070 fordevice information.

[0361] Blacklist table 3016 and white list table 3020 contain blacklistand white list information respectively. Each of these two tables has asprimary keys a number identifier, a subscriber identifier, and a serviceidentifier. In addition, the subscriber identifier and the serviceidentifier are foreign keys in the blacklist table 3016 and white listtable 3020. Blacklist table 3016 and white list table 3020 referencesubscriber profile table 3004 for subscriber information and servicestable 3042 for services information. The blacklist table 3020 maycontain information relating to a subscriber's personal blacklists aswell as a system-wide blacklist. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, a system-wide blacklist may reside in blacklist table 3016.

[0362] A browser table 3074 stores information about different browsers.For example, browser table 3074 may contain browser descriptions,operating system descriptions, and browser versions. Browser table 3074has as its primary key a browser identifier. Since device table 3070 hasas its foreign key a browser identifier, device table 3070 referencesbrowser table 3074 for browser information.

[0363] Subservice attribute table 3066 stores subservice attributeinformation. Subservice attribute table 3066 has as its primary keys asequence identifier, a mobile number, and a subscription identifier.Subservice attribute table 3066 has as its foreign keys a mobile numberand a subscription identifier. In this example, subservice attributetable 3066 references subscription table 3038 for subscriptioninformation.

[0364] Alias table 3050 stores alias information. Alias information mayinclude, for example, aliases that have been set up by a wirelesssubscriber. In this manner, a wireless subscriber may be able toconfigure aliases and associate alias names with devices or lists. Aliastable 3050 has as its primary keys a subscriber identifier and an aliasnumber. Alias table 3050 has as its foreign key a subscriber identifier.Alias table 3050 interfaces with subscriber profile table 3004 forsubscriber information.

[0365] Alias destination routing table 3054 stores information about therouting destinations for an alias. Alias destination routing table 3054has as its primary keys a subscription identifier, a mobile number, asubscriber identifier, and an alias number. These four identifiers arealso foreign keys of alias destination routing table 3054. Aliasdestination routing table 3054 preferably references alias table 3050for alias information and subscription table 3038 for subscriptioninformation.

[0366] Alias email routing table 3058 stores alias email routinginformation such as a routing enabled flag. In this example, alias emailrouting table 3058 has as its primary keys a subscriber identifier, asequence number, and an alias number. These three primary keys alsoserve as foreign keys of alias email routing table 3058. In this manner,alias email routing table 3058 references alias table 3050 for aliasinformation and sub email table 3062 for email information.

[0367] Sub email table 3062 stores email information. Sub email table3062 has as its primary keys a subscriber identifier and a sequencenumber. Sub email table 3062 has as its foreign keys a subscriberidentifier and an email type identifier. In this example, sub emailtable 3062 references subscriber table 3004 for subscriber informationand email type table 3078 for email type information.

[0368] Email type table 3078 stores information about the type of anemail. Email type table 3078 has as its primary key an email typeidentifier.

[0369] Referring now to FIG. 30a, a more detailed explanation of variousdata fields that may appear in a preferred embodiment the MIND isdepicted.

[0370]FIG. 30a is intended only as an example as various other datafields may also be included in the MIND or added thereto. Moreover,numerous arrangements of these data fields are well within the scope ofthe present invention. In FIG. 30a, a field name is provided along withan example. In addition, a “customer proprietary flag” as well as “a maybe used at the time of initial registration flag” is associated witheach field name. In the example of FIG. 30a, customer proprietary meansinformation generated by a customer for use by that particular customerand generally restricted from distribution beyond that customer. Otherflags may also be associated with the field names. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, other field names may also be addedor deleted from the MIND. In this manner, the MIND is flexible,scalable, and adaptable to meet various changes in a wireless network. Afurther embodiment of the present invention may simply comprise a fieldname without any associated flag. some of the fields of this example maybe changed by a wireless subscriber or end user while other fields ofthis example may only be altered by a wireless network administrator.

[0371] The example of FIG. 30a may be divided into four differentsections: account information, device information, network addressinformation, and messaging attributes. The fields that make up theaccount information in the MIND may have one row per subscriber. Theremay be multiple rows for each device type and each destination addressbelonging to a subscriber, all of which could be in separate tables. Asubscriber record, which may stretch across several database tables,could be, for example, from 2,000 to 5,000 bytes.

[0372] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 30a, a Username 01 stored ina first field of the MIND uniquely references a particular wirelesscustomer. In this embodiment of the present invention, a user name ismay be used at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary. In addition to a Username 01, a Password 02 may also be maybe used at the time of initial registration and, in this example, iscustomer proprietary. The Username 01 and Password 02 stored in the MINDmay be used by all applications in a wireless network. In this manner, awireless customer may conveniently have one user name and password touse across all wireless applications.

[0373] A field entitled “Signed up for DirectBill” 03 may also be storedin the MIND. In this example, the field, “Signed up for DirectBill” 03,is a yes/no field, may be used at the time of initial registration, andis not customer proprietary. Similarly, a field entitled “Signed up forPromotional Messages” may also be stored in the MIND. This field, inthis example, is a yes/no field, may be used at the time of initialregistration, and is not customer proprietary. The “Signed Up forDirectBill” field 03 indicates whether or not a wireless subscriber isin a direct billing program. Likewise, the “Signed up for PromotionalMessages” field 04 indicates whether or not a wireless subscriber wishesto receive promotional messages. In this embodiment of the presentinvention, these two fields, as well as many of the other fields in theMIND, may be configurable by a wireless subscriber. In this manner, awireless subscriber may be able to alter various fields stored in theMIND database.

[0374] With further references to FIG. 30a, an “Account Status” field05, stored in the MIND, may indicate whether a wireless subscriber'saccount is active, suspended, or closed. The “Account Status” field 05may be used at the time of initial registration and is not typicallyconsidered customer proprietary.

[0375] Three fields may be used to identify a particular subscriber'saccount. Fields entitled “Unique Account Identifier” 06, “AccountNumber” 07, and “Subaccount” 08 may be stored in the MIND. Each of thesethree fields may be used to identify a particular account. In thisexample, each of these fields is used at the time of initialregistration, and none of them are customer proprietary.

[0376] A field entitled “Account Type” 09, stored in the MIND database,may indicate whether a subscriber's account, for example, is post paid,pre-paid, reseller, or corporate. In this manner, the “Account Type”field 09 and the “Account Status” field 05 may only accept one of alimited number of possible responses. In this example, this field isused at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

[0377] A field entitled “Rate Plan” 10, stored in the MIND database,indicates the particular plan under which a wireless subscriberparticipates. Further, a field entitled “Feature Codes Per Device” 11may also be stored in the MIND. Like the “Rate Plan” field 10, the“Feature Codes Per Device” field 11 may be may be used at the time ofinitial registration and may not be customer proprietary. The “FeatureCodes Per Device” field 11, for example, indicates whether a wirelesssubscriber is signed up for instant messaging and, if so, what type ofinstant messaging code should be used. In addition, the “Feature CodesPer Device” field 11 may also indicate a particular wireless applicationprotocol, such as, for example, general packet radio service, associatedwith a particular wireless subscriber profile. In this example, thesefields are used at the time of initial registration and are not customerproprietary.

[0378] In FIG. 30a, three fields accept date codes. The “ServiceActivation Date” field 12, “Service Termination Date” field 13, and“Billing Cycle Date” field 14 may contain the dates applicable to aparticular wireless subscriber. In this example, these fields are usedat the time of initial registration and are not customer proprietary.

[0379] A “Credit Class Code” or “Spending Limit” field 15, stored in theMIND, may also be associated with a particular wireless subscriber. Thisfield can indicate credit information about a particular wirelesssubscriber and may also establish preset spending limits. A “CreditClass Code” field 15 may be altered only by a wireless provider. The“Credit Class Code” field 15 may also be customer proprietary.

[0380] A “Language” field 16, stored in the MIND, indicates a particularlanguage associated with a wireless customer. As indicated in theexample of FIG. 30a, this field is used at the time of initialregistration and is not customer proprietary.

[0381] A field entitled “Provisional Classes of Service” 17, stored inthe MIND, can be associated with various games, ringtones, or otherservices offered to the customer. In this example, this field is notused at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

[0382] A “Parental Control Password” field 18, stored in the MIND, canbe used by a parent to control a child's access to a wireless device.For example, certain aspects of wireless communication associated with awireless device may require a parental control password. In this manner,a parent can prevent a child or any other unauthorized user fromparticipating in certain types of communications or services. The“Parental Control Password” field 18 may be used at the time of initialregistration, but, like Password field 02, is customer proprietary.

[0383] In the example of FIG. 30a, “Default Portal Selection” field 19,stored in the MIND, indicates a portal associated with a particularwireless device. “Default Portal Selection” 19 may be used at the timeof initial registration, but is not customer proprietary.

[0384] A “Device Type” field 20, stored in the MIND, indicates theparticular type of device or devices that a wireless subscriber is usingin a wireless network infrastructure. A particular wireless subscribermay have many devices which he uses within a wireless networkarchitecture. A wireless subscriber may have a telephone device as wellas a separate text device, both of which are used in a wirelessinfrastructure. In such a case, a particular user may have multipledevice types associated with his profile. Each device may have a uniqueprofile associated with it. In this manner, each device may have acertain set of fields in the MIND. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, different devices associated with different device types, forexample, may have different rate plan structures, account numbers, orother information associated with them. In another aspect, two differentdevices may share the same account number, rate plan, and other userinformation.

[0385] In the example of FIG. 30a, a “Network Type” filed 21 may bestored in the MIND. The “Network Type” field 21 indicates a particularnetwork protocol, such as GSM, GAIT, or TDMA. In this example, thisfield is used at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

[0386] Fields entitled “Prepaid Account Server” 22 and “Prepaid AccountServer Version” 23 may also be stored in the MIND. In this example,these fields store information about prepaid aspects of a subscriber'saccount.

[0387] In one embodiment of the present invention, “MSISDN/MDN” field 24indicates the mobile directory number for a particular device.“IMSI/MIN” field 25 indicates the international subscriber mobileidentity or the mobile identification number of a particular deviceassociated with a wireless subscriber. “ESN” field 26 indicates theelectronic serial number of a wireless device. “SIM Version” field 27describes the subscriber identification module type for a particularwireless device used in the wireless network. “RIM User's Name” field 28indicates a user name associated with a wireless subscriber,specifically related to that used on a RIM device, other messagingdevice or wireless email device user names may be included. For example,this user name could be one of the wireless subscriber's aliases.“MAN/PIN” field 29 indicates the metropolitan area network and personalidentification number associated with a particular wireless device orwireless subscriber. In one embodiment of the present invention, each ofthese field names is associated uniquely with a single wireless device.In this manner, a single field name may be may be used for each wirelessdevice. All of these fields, in this example, are used at the time ofinitial registration and are not customer proprietary.

[0388] A second “Account Number” field 30 may also be stored in theMIND. Associated with this account number, for example, can be an“Account Type” field 31. The “Account Type” field 31, for example, canindicate a particular account to which a wireless user subscribes. An“Operating System” field 32 and “Memory” field 33 may describe variousaspects of a particular wireless subscriber's device or account. Each ofthese four fields, in this example, are used at the time of initialregistration and are not customer proprietary.

[0389] “ESN/MSN” field 34 also describes various aspects of a customer'saccount. In this example, “ESN/MSN” field 34 stores serial numberinformation associated with a device. In this example, this field isused at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

[0390] “Domain” field 35, stored in the MIND, associates a particularuser or a particular device with a standard domain name. In thisexample, a user's domain is IMcingular.com. This domain may be used toassociate a particular user with a particular e-mail address. Inaddition, a particular domain and its associated domain name address canfacilitate communication between a web-based application and a wirelessdevice. In one aspect of the present invention, a wireless subscribermay be able to send text messages from his cellular telephone to asecond person at a destination e-mail address. The “Domain” field 35 mayalso be used in aliasing.

[0391] A series of fields describes a particular device that isconnected to a wireless network. In this example, “Device Schedule” 36,“Device Make” 37, “Device Model” 38, “Device Version” 39, and “DeviceE-Mail Address” 40 all describe various details about a particulardevice that a wireless subscriber uses on a wireless networkinfrastructure. In this example, the “Device Schedule” field 36indicates a particular network protocol such as Mobitex, GPRS, or Edge,for use with a particular device. The “Device Make” field 37 and “DeviceModel” field 38 indicate the make and model of a wireless device used ona wireless network. A “Device Version” field 39 further defines the typeof device. “Device E-Mail Address” 40, in this example, is a particulare-mail address associated with a certain device. Similar to the “Domain”field 35, “Device E-Mail Address” 40 can be used in e-mailcommunications. In this manner, a person using a personal computer cansend an e-mail over the Internet to a wireless device. In this example,“Device Schedule” 36, “Device Version” 39 and “Device E-Mail Address” 40may be assigned at the time of initial registration and are not customerproprietary. “Device Make” 37 and “Device Model” 38, in this example,are used at the time of initial registration and are not customerproprietary.

[0392] A field entitled “IP Address” field 41, in this example, stores aGPRS address associated with a device. In this particular example, thisfield is not used at the time of initial registration and is notcustomer proprietary.

[0393] A field entitled “Password Validation Required on Originator” 42,stored in the MIND, is a Boolean data field. This data field indicateswhether a password may be used for a designated application. The“Password Validation Required on Originator” field 42 is not used at thetime of initial registration and is not customer proprietary. A fieldentitled “Password for Distribution List Access” 43, stored in the MIND,contains a user-defined password. The storage capacity of field 43 canbe limited to a specific number of characters. In this example, the“Password for Distribution List Access” field 43 can be compared to apassword entered by a wireless subscriber. If the passwords match, thenthe wireless subscriber is allowed access to a distribution list. Thisfield 43, in this example, is not used at the time of initialregistration, but, like “Password” field 42, is customer proprietary.

[0394] Destination E-Mail Address field 44 and Destination Label field45, in this example, store information about a particular destination.In this example, these fields are not used at the time of initialregistration and are not customer proprietary.

[0395] A field entitled “Customer's POP Server List” 46, stored in theMIND, describes a post office protocol mailing list which can be definedby a wireless subscriber. In the “Customer POP Server List” field 46 isnot used at the time of initial registration and is not customerproprietary.

[0396] An “Alerts Disabled” field 47, stored in the MIND, indicateswhether alerts are disabled on a particular wireless device or on aparticular wireless account and typically include only a yes or a nodesignation.

[0397] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 30a, “My Time Zone” field 48,stored within the MIND, indicates the particular time zone with which awireless device or user is associated. In other embodiments of thepresent invention, separate “My Time Zone” fields 48 can be associatedwith various wireless devices belonging to a single wireless subscriber.In this example, the My Time Zone field 48 is not used at the time ofinitial registration and is not customer proprietary.

[0398] In an exemplary embodiment, “Distribution Lists” data field 49may contain a single distribution list for each field. In this manner,multiple distribution list data fields may be provided in order toenable a wireless subscriber to store multiple distribution lists in theMIND. As is commonly known, a distribution list is simply a list ofdestinations or addresses associated with a particular key word toenable a wireless subscriber to send a message to multiple destinations.In this example, “Distribution List” field 49 is not typically populatedat the time of initial registration and is not customer proprietary. Inaddition, “Distribution List” field 49 may be configured by a wirelesssubscriber.

[0399] An Alias field 50, stored in the MIND, indicates an alias nameassociated with a wireless subscriber. In this example, the Alias field50 is a messaging attribute that is associated, for example with a list.In this manner, a list can have an alias associated with it. In thisexample, this field is not used at the time of initial registration andis not customer proprietary.

[0400] A “User Defined Blacklist” field 51 and a “User Defined Whitelist” field 52 may also be stored in the MIND. “User Defined Blacklist”field 51 contains a list of devices or addresses with which a wirelesssubscriber does not wish to communicate. In this manner, a wirelesssubscriber can black list a group of addresses so that he will notreceive any incoming messages from those particular addresses. In afurther embodiment of the present invention, a single wirelesssubscriber may have more than one black list defined. In that case, awireless subscriber may have multiple “User Defined Blacklist” fields51. Similar to the “User Defined Blacklist” 51, the “User Defined Whitelist” field 52, in this example, contains a list of addresses or peoplewith which a wireless subscriber wishes to communicate. The addresses orpeople contained in a “User Defined White list” field 52 for aparticular wireless subscriber, for example, may receive preferentialtreatment with regard to various communications. In this example, boththe “User Defined Blacklist” field 51 and the “User Defined White list”field 52 are not typically used at the time of initial registration andare not customer proprietary.

[0401] A field entitled “Previous Mobile Number” 53, stored in the MIND,may contain a prior phone number for a wireless subscriber. In thismanner, when a wireless subscriber changes phone numbers, he can havehis previous mobile number stored in data field “Previous Mobile Number”53. Data field “Previous Mobile Number” 53, in this example, is not usedat the time of initial registration and is not customer proprietary.

[0402] Many of the fields contained in the MIND can be populated by awireless subscriber. In this manner, a wireless subscriber has access tothe MIND and may edit or change various fields. As such, a customizableuser profile may be comprised of the various data fields of the MIND. Awireless subscriber, for example, has the ability to alter the contentsof the “User Defined Blacklist” field 51, the “User Defined White list”field 52, as well as various other fields previously mentioned.

[0403] A wireless subscriber can also modify the various fields of theMIND via different devices. For example, a wireless subscriber may beable to modify a field with a wireless device, a computer terminalconnected to the Internet, or a standard telephone.

[0404] Employing various user configurable and modifiable fields of theMIND, a wireless subscriber is able to create and edit personal aliases.Each alias may define a destination address and may provide the abilityfor the subscriber to manage message delivery. In addition, a wirelesssubscriber may be able to define distribution lists, filtering lists,such as white and black lists, and auto-reply lists.

[0405] Using various fields of the MIND previously described, auser-defined profile may allow for the definition of multiple handsetsor devices. A user profile, comprising information contained in variousfields previously described, may support destination address translationand number portability. The user defined profile may also support a setof messaging applications such as, web-to-mobile, mobile-to-mobile,mobile-to-web, numeric, or promotional messages. In a further embodimentof the present invention, the user-defined profile may support thecustomization and linking of services offered to subscribers. Asubscriber may be able to set up advanced features in his profile, suchas relaying messages to more than one mobile device or other messagingdestination such as an e-mail account.

[0406] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a user-definedprofile assembled from the previously mentioned fields may hold a set ofcanned messages or automatic replies. The subscriber may be able to optout of or opt into receipt of promotional messages. In addition, awireless subscriber may also be able to block messages by categories.For example, the subscriber may be able to choose to block all incomingmobile messages to avoid incurring fees.

[0407] In a further embodiment of the present invention, new servicescan be provisioned at or near real time by registering appropriateinformation in a subscriber profile contained in the MIND or in one ofits replicas. For example, a wireless subscriber can subscribe toadditional services simply by changing the contents of various fieldscontained in the MIND.

[0408] The depiction of FIG. 30a is merely an example of one embodimentof the present invention. Many other fields and combinations of fieldscan be envisioned and are within the scope of the present invention. Inaddition, the present invention contemplates the use of these variousdata fields to configure user profiles in many different manners.

[0409] The MIND database can be implemented in many different waysconsistent with the principles of the present invention. For example,the MIND database may reside in a magnetic storage medium resident on acomputer. The MIND database may be implemented with currently availablesoftware database products developed by software companies such asOracle. In one embodiment of the present invention, the MIND databasemay be distributed over many different computers or many differentindividual database products. In this manner, individual computers ordatabases may be networked together to form the MIND database. In thisembodiment, a central controller may be implemented in order tomanipulate the individual computers or databases. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, the MIND database may reside on anoptical storage device such as a compact disc or series of compactdiscs. In general, the MIND database may be implemented in anyconvenient storage media.

[0410] One embodiment of the MIND database consistent with theprinciples of the present invention may be horizontally scalable so thata data processor on which the database resides may be expandable.Further, the MIND database may be vertically scalable so that more dataprocessor units can be added to the location of the database. Exemplaryembodiments of the MIND consistent with the principles of the presentinvention may be scalable to the order of tens of millions of customerprofiles in terms of space and in terms of speed. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, the MIND may be able to provide access to dataonly through published application programming interfaces. Thesescalable features of the MIND database may be implemented with currentlyavailable technology known to those skilled in the art.

[0411] Operation of the MIND

[0412]FIG. 31 illustrates a flow chart of a bulk load operationperformed by the MIND in an exemplary embodiment consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 31, the flowchart depicts a bulk load of data contained in a central MIND database137 into various replica databases, such as network data distributordatabase 2884.

[0413] In the embodiment of the present invention depicted in step 3102,the bulk load process may be initiated by IT database business logic2804. For example, the IT database business logic 2804 may read all thedata from the MIND database 137 or other database and create a dataabstract file. This data abstract file can represent all or a portion ofthe data subject to the bulk load operation. The data of the bulk loadoperation, for example, can be stored in the MIND database 153 or may bestored in some external data storage device (not shown).

[0414] As depicted in exemplary step 3104, the IT database businesslogic 2804 announces that the bulk load data is available. In thisexample, this announcement is made to provisioning system 2808, throughbackbone provisioning transport 2816 and to network database businesslogic adaptor 2828. The announcement may then be transmitted throughbackbone integration transport 132, network database business logic2876, and to network data distributor database 2884. Alternatively, ITdatabase business logic 2804 may communicate directly with networkdatabase business logic 2876 to alert network data distributor database2884 of the bulk load event. In one embodiment, business logic, such asIT database business logic 2804, may publish on backbone integrationtransport 132 a message alerting network data distributor database 2884to a bulk load. In this example, network database business logic 2876subscribes to bulk load messages and receives the bulk load message.Network database business logic 2876, in this example, replies bypublishing a message on backbone integration transport 132. Upon receiptof this reply by IT database business logic 2804, the bulk load processcommences. Other various communication channels and paths are within thescope of the present invention.

[0415] As depicted in exemplary step 3106, network database businesslogic 2876 of network data distributor database 2884 receives the bulkload event. As depicted in exemplary step 3108, network databasebusiness logic 2876 retrieves the bulk file from a location specified inthe bulk load event. Network database business logic 2876 may retrievethe bulk load data from the MIND database 137. Alternatively, networkdatabase business logic may retrieve the bulk load data from an externaldata store (not shown). In this example, after retrieving the bulk file,network data distributor database 2884 loads the data. The bulk file caneither be loaded directly from its location to network data distributordatabase 2884 or, for example, via network database business logic 2876.In the latter instance, bulk information may be routed through networkdatabase business logic 2876 and then loaded into network datadistributor database 2884.

[0416] As depicted in exemplary step 3112, network database businesslogic 2876 announces a bulk load event to other replica databases, suchas network subscriber data replica database 2872. This announcement maybe transmitted to network database business logic 2864, which maycontrol network subscriber data replica database 2872. In this manner,the announcement may proceed from network database business logic 2876to backbone integration transport 132 and then to network databasebusiness logic 2864. In an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention, the business rules and protocol handling that is contained innetwork database business logic 2876 may be contained directly innetwork data distributor database 2884.

[0417] Likewise, other business rules and protocol rules may also becontained within replica databases such as network subscriber datareplica database 2872. In this alternate embodiment of the presentinvention, a direct link may be achieved from a bulk load data sourceor, for example, the MIND database 137 to network data distributordatabase 2884 and replica databases such as network subscriber datareplica database 2872. In this example, the announcement of the bulkload event transmitted by network database business logic 2876 tonetwork database business logic 2864, for example, can indicate thelocation of the bulk data.

[0418] As depicted in exemplary step 3114, network database businesslogic 2864 receives the bulk load event with the location of the bulkload data. Likewise, other replica network database business logicentities also receive the bulk load event and the location of the bulkload data. For example, network database business logic 2852 which isassociated with network subscriber data routing and validation database135 may also receive the bulk load event along with the location of thebulk load data. The transmission of this event notification, forexample, may be done in parallel to all replica databases at the sametime, to databases sequentially, or in any convenient order. Forexample, it may be preferable that network subscriber data replicadatabase 2872 receives data before network subscriber data routing andvalidation database 135. If this is the case, then network databasebusiness logic 2876 would first transmit the bulk load event informationto network database business logic 2864 and then transmit that bulk loadevent to network database business logic 2852. In this manner, networksubscriber data replica database 2872 could receive its bulk load updatebefore network subscriber data routing and validation database 135.

[0419] As depicted in exemplary step 3116, each replica database thenretrieves the bulk data. The network database business logic associatedwith the replica database may be responsible for retrieving the bulkload data. For example, network database business logic 2864 mayretrieve the bulk load data for network subscriber data replica database2872. The replica databases are then updated with the bulk data asdepicted in exemplary step 3118. In this manner, network subscriber datareplica database 2872 would be updated with the bulk data.

[0420] In the example of FIG. 31, replica databases are replicated fromnetwork data distributor database 2884 which is replicated from the MINDdatabase 137. In this fashion, data stored in the MIND database 137 isfirst propagated to network data distributor database 2884. Network datadistributor database 2884 then distributes the data to replicadatabases, such as network subscriber data replica database 2872. In analternate embodiment of the present invention, the updating process canbe performed in parallel. In this manner, the data from the MINDdatabase 137 can be transferred in parallel to all replica databases,including network data distributor database 2884, network subscriberdata replica database 2872, and network subscriber data routing andvalidation database 135.

[0421] In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, datacontained in an external data storage device may be first sent to theMIND database 137 and then to the replica databases, 135, 2884, and2872, in any order. The present invention also contemplates parallelupdate of the MIND database 137 and the replica databases 153, 2872, and2884. In this manner, all databases throughout the system may be updatedfrom an external source at the same time.

[0422] Network data distributor database 2884 may contain a subset ofall customer information contained in the MIND database 137. Alladditions, updates, and deletions to a customer profile may be made, forexample, on the MIND database 137. The MIND database 137 may thenpropagate the changes to the network data distributor database 2884. Thenetwork data distributor database 2884 may contain a master set of allfiles in the network. All network elements, such as the RAVE and theDART, may access the information stored in the network data distributordatabase 2884 via replicated database nodes located in close proximityto the network element itself. These database replicas, such as networksubscriber data replica database 2872 and network subscriber datarouting and validation database 135 may contain only a subset of thedata in the network data distributor database 2884. Likewise, networkdata distributor database 2884 may contain only a subset of the datacontained in the MIND database 137.

[0423]FIG. 32 depicts an incremental update of data contained in thedatabases of the infrastructure in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the principles of the present invention. In this example, thedatabases are updated with a new wireless subscriber. As shown in theexample of FIG. 32, an activation channel registers a new subscriber3202. A subscriber can be registered, for example, via web interface2812. In this manner, wireless subscriber 2858 may register for wirelessservice via web interface 2812. The registration information for the newwireless subscriber may then be passed via IT database business logic2804 into the MIND database 137. Alternatively, a customerrepresentative of the wireless carrier may input the data for the newwireless subscriber into MIND database 137 in any convenient manner.

[0424] After the new data is received by the MIND database 137 thereplica databases may need to be updated. In step 3204, provisioningsystem 2808 posts an event stating that a new subscriber has beenregistered. This event may originate in provisioning system 2808 or maybe a function of the MIND database 137 or the IT database business logic2804. For example, when a new subscriber's data is stored in the MINDdatabase 137, the MIND database 137 may initiate a process via ITdatabase business logic 2804 and provisioning system 2808 to updatereplica databases such as network subscriber data replica 2872.Alternatively, the registration of a new wireless subscriber mayinitiate an update event in provisioning system 2808.

[0425] In the example of step 3206, network applications receive theprovisioning event. The provisioning event may be transmitted to othernetwork applications such as the DART or the RAVE via backboneprovisioning transport 2816 and network database business logic adaptor2828. Alternatively, the provisioning event may be transmitted directlyto the various network entities such as the RAVE and the DART. In theexample of FIG. 32, the provisioning event is transmitted fromprovisioning system 2808 via backbone provisioning transport 2816,network database business logic adaptor 2828, backbone integrationtransport 132, to network data business logic 2876. In an alternateembodiment of the present invention, the provisioning event may betransmitted from provisioning system 2808 to network database businesslogic 2876 in any convenient manner.

[0426] In the exemplary step of 3208, the network data distributordatabase 2884 registers the new subscriber. As previously described, thedata for the new subscriber can be transferred from the MIND database137 to the network data distributor database 2884. Alternatively, thenetwork data distributor database 2884 may receive the new subscriberdata from a separate data source.

[0427] As depicted in exemplary step 3210, the network applicationannounces that a new subscriber has been registered. For example,network database business logic 2876 may announce to network databasebusiness logic 2864, or network database business logic 2828 that a newsubscriber has been registered and his information has been stored innetwork distributor database 2884. This announcement may be transmittedfrom network database business logic 2876 via backbone integrationtransport 132 to network database business logic 2864. In an alternateembodiment of the present invention, the announcement that a newsubscriber has been registered in network data distributor database 2884or in the MIND database 137 can be made directly to network databasebusiness logic 2864 and/or network database business logic 2828.

[0428] In exemplary step 3212 of FIG. 32, the replicated databasesreceive the event. For example, network subscriber data replica database2872 may receive an indication that a new subscriber is being registeredon the wireless network. Likewise, network subscriber data routing andvalidation database 135 may also receive an indication that a newsubscriber is being registered on the wireless network. Thisnotification may be received directly from IT database business logic2804, provisioning system 2808, MIND database 137, or from any otherconvenient source.

[0429] In exemplary step 3214 of FIG. 32, the subscriber is registeredin replicated databases. In one embodiment of the present invention, thenetwork subscriber data replica database 2872 and the network subscriberdata routing and validation database 135 each receive data associatedwith the new wireless subscriber. In this manner, various fieldscontained within the replica databases 135 and 2872 may be createdand/or updated. In one embodiment of the present invention, new datafields may be created in the network subscriber data replica database2872 and the network subscriber data routing and validation database 135for the new wireless subscriber. These new fields may then be populatedwith data about the new wireless subscriber. Likewise, network datadistributor database 2884 may also be adapted to receive new data fieldscontaining the data about the new subscriber.

[0430] In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a wirelesssubscriber may register for a new network service. In this case, theMIND database 137 and the replica databases, 2884, 2872, and 135 mayreceive information about the new service to which the subscriberregisters. This new information may be associated with existingsubscriber data, such as a user name or password. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, a wireless subscriber may wish tochange certain aspects of his customer profile. For example, a wirelesssubscriber may want to change the password he uses for his account. Oncethe customer makes this change, the MIND database 137 is able topropagate the change to various replicated databases as necessary.

[0431] Consistent with one embodiment of the present invention, thenetwork data distributor database 2884 may remain identical to the MINDdatabase 137 being updated co-incedentally or in near real-time. Changesto the MIND database 137 may then be reflected in the network datadistributor database 2884 within, for example, one minute of thosechanges being applied to the master database. Similarly, changes to thenetwork data distributor database 2884 may be reflected in the replicadatabases, such as network subscriber data replica databases 2872,within, for example, one minute of those changes being applied to thenetwork data distributor database 2884. Other update times are withinthe scope of the present invention. Additionally, all the databases maybe updated in real time in parallel.

[0432] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may provide forcontingency procedures to guarantee that the replica databases, such asnetwork subscriber data replica database 2872, can be synchronized inthe event of failures in the replication process. These contingencyprocedures may be automated. In this manner, the failure of a replicadatabase to receive updated data may result in the implementation of anerror correction routine. In addition, if a failure occurs, the wirelessnetwork architecture may provide for redundancy and error recovery.

[0433] New database replicas may be added and configured easily. Forexample, a replica subscriber database (not shown) may be added to theinfrastructure. In this manner, the new database may be populated usinga bulk load procedure previously described or an update procedure alsopreviously described. The addition of replica databases, as well as themanipulation of existing replica databases allows for networkscalability.

[0434] In a further embodiment of the present invention, sensitivecustomer information stored in MIND database 137 or replica databases,2884, 2872, and 135 may be encrypted. Any number of existing encryptiontechniques may be used to preserve the security of customer information.Moreover, changes to the subscriber profile may be controlled. Eachsubscriber profile attribute may be protected as indicated by aprotection property flag. The network database business logic 2876utilizes that protection property flag to determine whether a particularattribute is modifiable. That protection property flag may itself bemodified by a system.

[0435] The process of updating replicated databases may be accomplishedby caching data in a short-term memory. For example, data related to awireless subscriber that is updated in the MIND database 137 may then becached in a local storage accessible to the network data distributordatabase 2884. Likewise, data caching can be used in thepreviously-described data transfer methods in order to realizeoperational efficiencies.

[0436] Subscriber Configuration Interface

[0437] The Subscriber Configuration Interface (SCI) 165 supplies theframework to deliver network services, add new network services, andmodify existing network services via a web interface. As such, SCI 165provides network subscribers with the ability to manage and configurenetwork services.

[0438] While the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 depicts only a singleSCI 165, multiple SCIs may be deployed with the present invention, eachinterfacing with one or more web interfaces and vice versa. Many otherpermutations of network entities are within the scope of the presentinvention.

[0439] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, SCI 165, through networktransport 125, RAVE 130 and integration transport 132 interfaces withUADB 140. In this embodiment, UADB 140 may contain, for example,customer aliases, White lists, Blacklists, distribution lists, languagefilters, message formatting options, vacation settings, and numerousother aspects of a subscriber's customer profile. In this manner, UADB140, or one of its replicas, serves as a storage point for subscribers'preference profiles. The data contained in UADB 140 may be updated bysubscribers via the web interface.

[0440] When a subscriber updates his preference profile through the webinterface, UADB 140 may be updated at or near real time. For example,changes made by a subscriber through the web interface may beimmediately written to UADB 140 or one of its replicas. If written to areplica of UADB 140, a master database (not shown) may then be updatedfrom the replica of UADB 140. In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, a subscriber's update of his preference profile via the webinterface may first be stored in a master database (not shown) and thenreplicated to UADB 140. Numerous other methods, described in otherportions of this specification, may be used to update a subscriber'spreference profile via the web interface. In yet another embodiment ofthe present invention, a subscriber's information, such as hispreference profile, may be stored directly within SCI 165. Storage ofconfiguration data within SCI 165 may be implemented through anintegrated database, short term memory, long term memory, or any otherconvenient storage method.

[0441] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, LAMB 160 recordstransactions from SCI 165. Information about SCI 165 transactions mayinclude, for example, time, date, originator information, transactionID, destination information, message information, SCI functions accessedby the originator, errors, and any other function or process performedby SCI 165.

[0442] In one embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 providesalarming and logging information to LAMB 160 via network transport 125.This alarming and logging information, for example, may be based uponthe time of each transaction, the date of each transaction, theoriginator's IP address, the remote host name of the originator, themessage ID of the transaction, destination addresses, validationresults, message length, the message itself, total bytes sent notincluding headers, the time to complete the request, the status returnedby the server, the status returned by other network entities, SCIfunctions accessed by the originator of the message, the last URL thesubscriber was referred to by the SCI, errors, or any other convenientinformation.

[0443] SCI 165 may publish on network transport 125 alarming and logginginformation. This alarming and logging information may then be receivedby LAMB 160 from network transport 125. Upon receipt of this alarmingand logging information from network transport 125, LAMB 160 may thenstore, process, and operate on the alarming and logging information.LAMB 160, in a further embodiment of the present invention, may supportcentralized logging and alarming functions. Further, LAMB 160 maysupport real time or non-real time alarming and logging. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, LAMB 160 may support variable debuglevels.

[0444] The web interface, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1,provides a web page with which both subscribers and non-subscribers mayinteract with SCI 165. In the example of FIG. 1, the web interfaceprovides a common look and feel for those who access the web page. Theweb interface, for example, may include instructions on how to send andquery web messages, instructions on how to configure a subscriber'spreference profile, and instructions on how to create custom downloads.In a further embodiment of the present invention, the web interface mayprovide a subscriber with a web page that can be used to update andchange a subscriber's preference profile. Further, the web interface mayenable a subscriber or non-subscriber to send a web send message to asubscriber. Many other functions and instructions may be incorporatedinto the web interface and are within the scope of the presentinvention.

[0445] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, ARC 110 a provides varioustranslation functions. ARC 110 a may receive “web send” messages thatare published by SCI 165 on network transport 125. Upon receiving theseweb send messages, ARC 110 a may perform translation functions, forexample, to transform a web send message into a common format forstorage on MDS 175 or to transform a web send message into the properformat for transmission to a particular device.

[0446]FIG. 33 illustrates an SCI in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the principles of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 33,SCI 165 comprises portal interface 3302, send message logic 3306, querymessage logic 3310, configuration logic 3314, and create custom downloadlogic 3318. In this example, portal interface 3302 is in communicationwith send message logic 3306, query message logic 3310, configurationlogic 3314 and create custom download logic 3318. In addition, portalinterface 3302, in this example, interfaces with a web interface (notshown).

[0447] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 33, portal interface 3302provides a standard interface accessible by the web interface to providesubscribers with the ability to customize network services and sendmessages to data subscribers. In this example, portal interface 3302allows a provider to enable a common look and feel for the webinterface. Portal interface 3302 allows a single log-in and password fora particular subscriber and allows the web interface to incorporatenetwork features such as send message, alias and distributionmanagement, and White list and Blacklist pages.

[0448] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 33, portal interface 3302 aswell as SCI 165 may serve up markup language content to an applicationprotocol server to allow subscribers to access all of the featuresprovided by SCI 165. In this manner, SCI 165 through portal interface3302 may provide support for markup language content. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, portal interface 3302 preferablysupports older browsers and/or WAP access. In a further embodiment ofthe present invention, portal interface 3302 supports transportprotocols, such as HTTP or HTTPS, to communicate with the web interface.Further, portal interface 3302 may support various markup languages,programming languages, and database protocols. For example, portalinterface 3302 may support protocols such as LDAP or SMTP.

[0449] SCI 165, through its subcomponents such as portal interface 3302,preferably supports various messaging protocols. For example, SCI 165,through its subcomponents such as portal interface 3302, may supportshort messaging service, interactive Mobitex messaging service, WAPsubscriber validation, streaming services over GPRS or any otherservice. Further, the embodiment depicted in FIG. 33 may support mobileterminated short messages originated by an operator. In that protocol,an operator based text messaging service allows a calling party to leavean alphanumeric message for a customer. An example of using that isplaying a protocol greeting the calling party with a personalizedmessage and then take an alphanumeric message of any length up to 160characters on behalf of the customer and then deliver the message to thecustomer, for example, using SMS.

[0450] A further embodiment of the present invention may support mobileterminated short messages originated from a web page. This protocolallows submission of a short message, for example, up to 640 charactersvia a web page, such as the web interface, to a customer. In a furtherembodiment, SCI 165 may support mobile terminated short messagesoriginated from a dial-up using Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP).This protocol allows submission of a short message, for example, up to160 characters, via a modem pool to a customer. Numerous other protocolsare supported by SCI 165 and portal interface 3302 and those listed hereare merely examples.

[0451] SCI 165, and its subcomponents such as portal interface 3302, maysupport get and post methods. In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, SCI 165, and/or portal interface 3302 may support a loadsharing interface that the web interface can use to provide adequatecapacity and growth. Further SCI 165, through portal interface 3302, mayinclude access to a stand alone home page with a navigation menu to eachof the service configuration pages.

[0452] Send message logic 3306 allows an Internet user to access astandard “send a message” web page to create and send new messages tosubscribers. In this manner, the “send a message” web page is accessiblevia the web interface. In a further embodiment of the present invention,send message logic 3306 allows a subscriber to access a class of serviceassociated with a message. For example, data customers, such as SMScustomers, Mobitex customers, GPRS customers and WAP customers, may beable to access the class of service associated with web send messages.

[0453] Send message logic 3306 may be displayed via the web interface toan Internet user. In this manner, the “send a message” web pageappearing on the web interface may include various aspects of sendmessage logic 3306. For example, fields in the “send a message” web pagemay include sender's name, sender's reply or notification address,sender's call back number, subject, message text, graphics symbols,passwords as required for a distribution list, future delivery time,recurring message based on time interval, and return delivery receiptrequest. Numerous other fields may be incorporated in send message logic3306 and displayed on the web interface through a web page.

[0454] Send message logic 3306 may allow Internet users to create longmessages that may include text, rich text format, and graphics withinthe text. Graphic symbols may be available on the “send a message” webpage to drag into the message text itself. The capability of the deviceto receive this format may be handled by ARC 110 in the network.

[0455] In this example, once an Internet user enters the destinationaddress in the appropriate field and changes to the next field to enteradditional information, the destination address can be validated, andthe device preference for the user or group can be determined. Thesepreferences can then be used to customize other aspects of the “send amessage” web page, such as enabling graphics mode, enabling validationof sender, and enabling message tracking. For example, SCI 165, uponreceiving a destination address entered by an Internet user entered intothe web interface, may publish that destination address on networktransport 125. The destination address published on network transport125 may then be received by RAVE 130. RAVE 130, through integrationtransport 132, may compare that destination address to addressescontained in UADB 140.

[0456] In this manner, RAVE 130 may perform validation functions on thedestination address based on information contained in UADB 140. Inaddition, RAVE 130, through data contained in UADB 140, may be able toconfigure further aspects of the web send message from a subscriber'spreference profile information contained in UADB 140. For example, ifthe destination address entered by an Internet user into the webinterface corresponds to a subscriber whose information is stored inUADB 140, then RAVE 130 may access that subscriber's preferenceinformation, via integration transport 132, from UADB 140. RAVE 130 maythen publish this subscriber's preference information on networktransport 125. SCI 165 may receive this published information fromnetwork transport 125.

[0457] After receiving this subscriber's preference information, SCI 165may then configure the “send a message” web page displayed on the webinterface. In this manner, SCI 165 may be able to customize the “send amessage” web page displayed on the web interface. This customized “senda message” web page displayed on the web interface can correspond tovarious preferences and information about a particular subscriber storedin UADB 140 or its replica. For example, SCI 165 may be able todetermine the capabilities of the destination device based on thedestination address and limit the message creation functionality of the“send a message” web page based on that device. In this manner, SCI 165,for example, may be capable of configuring web send messages fordelivery to different device types such as TDMA/GSM, Mobitex, and othermobile devices using JAVA.

[0458] An Internet user submits a web send message through the webinterface to a subscriber. Once a message has successfully beensubmitted, a cookie could be placed on the Internet user's browser whichreferences this particular web send transaction. This permits the senderto obtain the status of a previously submitted web send message. Thecookie can expire some time after the validity period of the web sendmessage to allow the sender to check the last status of the message.

[0459] In this example, the cookie may allow the sender to trackmultiple messages to multiple recipients. The cookie may also allow thesender to view reply messages from the recipient. The cookie may be usedto allow recipient replies to be returned to the method specified by thesender. The sender's specified methods may provide a convenient way totrack messages sent to devices using an Internet device such as the webinterface.

[0460] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165through the web interface, may provide an interface for Internet usersto create, for example, rich text, pictures, animations, melodies, andsounds that can be attached to web send messages. Further, SCI 165,through its subcomponents such as portal interface 3302, may provide aninterface for Internet users to generate downloadable multimedia filessuch as MIDI files to devices that support this feature. In this manner,SCI 165, as well as its subcomponents such as portal interface 3302, mayprovide support for any number of different data formats used with a websend message entered into the web interface.

[0461] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165submits web send messages to network transport 125. These web messagesmay be queued up in the network for transmission to the varioussubscribers. SCI 165 may provide the capability of specifying a futuredelivery time for these web messages. In such a case, these web messagescan be delivered to mobile devices at the specified time. For example,an Internet user through the web interface may be able to specify aparticular delivery time. In this case, the specified delivery timeassociated with the web message entered by an Internet user may then beused by SCI 165 to schedule delivery of the web message.

[0462] In a further embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 may beable to handle recurring messages. For example, recurring messages, suchas reminder type messages at periodic intervals or dates, may be createdon SCI 165. A subscriber, through the web interface or through hisdevice, may be able to set up reminder messages to be delivered to adestination device. A subscriber may set password access to this featurein order to be able to edit and delete these reminder type messages oralerts. SCI 165 may then support recurring message delivery and passwordaccess that can be enabled by a subscriber. Further, SCI 165 may allow asubscriber to manage recurring messages originated by others to thesubscriber's device. In yet another exemplary embodiment, SCI 165 maysupport management of these services by the device. For example, asubscriber, through his device, may be able to manage recurring remindertype messages.

[0463] In a further embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 iscapable of handling registered delivery of web messages. When aregistered web message is delivered or the message reaches its finaldestination, an updated status report message may be sent to theoriginator of the web message. In one embodiment of the invention, thesubscriber controls whether a status report message is returned to theoriginator of the web message. A delivery failure message, for example,can be sent back to the originator of the web send message via e-mail ifan invalid Internet e-mail address for the originator was supplied andregistered delivery was selected when the original web message wascreated.

[0464] An Internet user via the web interface may enter a web sendmessage, and select registered delivery on the “send a message” web pagedisplayed on the web interface. In this case, if the subscriber hasenabled registered delivery in his configuration profile, the Internetuser who originated the web send message may receive a delivery receiptwhen the web send message is received by the subscriber. In anotherembodiment, the Internet user who originated the web send message mayreceive a read receipt when the subscriber reads the web send message.Various other types of e-mail notification may be incorporated into theinfrastructure of the present invention.

[0465] In one example consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, query message logic 3310 of SCI 165 may interface with theweb interface to provide a method by which an Internet user can queryinformation about a web send message. For example, a “query message” webpage may be displayed on the web interface. In this example, Internetusers may be able to access the “query message” web page in order toview information about a web send message sent by the Internet user. Thesubscriber may be able to regulate an Internet user's access to the“query message” web page. In this manner, a subscriber may be able toenable or disable an Internet user's ability to query web send messages.

[0466] In the example of FIG. 1 and FIG. 33, SCI 165, through itssubcomponent, such as portal interface 3302, may satisfy an Internetuser's query request via information contained in a cookie. In a furtherembodiment of the present invention, these query requests may besatisfied by a message ID. In this case, a message ID may be returnedfor each web send message sent by an Internet user. The Internet usermay then be able to access information about the web send message usingthe message ID. For example, an Internet user accessing the “querymessage” web page displayed on the web interface may be able to enterthe message ID corresponding to a particular web send message in orderto access information about that web send message. The “query message”web page may be able to return the status of the web-send message to theInternet user. The Internet user may be able to determine whether theweb send message was delivered or read by a subscriber.

[0467] In a further example consistent with the principles of thepresent invention, SCI 165 may provide further management of queries.The status of queries may be checked or monitored. SCI 165 may providefor monitoring different queries and, for example, sorting, filtering,or storing queries. In one exemplary embodiment, an Internet userthrough the web interface may be able to manage various queries he hasinitiated about web send messages. An Internet user via the webinterface, may be able to sort the various queries he has initiatedabout multiple web send messages.

[0468] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,configuration logic 3314 allows each subscriber to view, modify, andcreate customized message handling and processing rules. Theconfiguration logic 3314 aspect of SCI 165, in this example, allows fora subscriber to customize or configure his preference information. Inone embodiment of the present invention, this information may be storedin UADB 140 or one of its replicas.

[0469] Configuration logic 3314 may permit subscribers to perform aliasmanagement. In this manner, alias management, implemented throughconfiguration logic 3314 of SCI 165, permits subscribers to createe-mail distribution lists and device aliases on their account. Asubscriber may have a distribution list that corresponds to a group ofpeople from work. In this case, the subscriber can associate the groupof destination addresses with the word “work.”

[0470] Likewise, a subscriber may have multiple devices. In this case,the subscriber can associate an alphanumeric string, such as a word,with each device. A subscriber who has multiple devices may be able toprovide an alias to be associated with the various configurable aspectsof each device. For example, a subscriber who has a cellular phone mayassociate the word “phone” with that device. In this example, all of thevarious configurable aspects of the cellular phone, such as the abilityto receive text messages, can be associated with the word “phone.” Thesubscriber can then invoke the word “phone” in order to access theconfiguration for his cellular phone.

[0471] This alias information may be stored in UADB 140, its replica,another database, or within SCI 165. A subscriber may then be able toalter the alias information stored in one of these various sites. Asubscriber may be able to create and alter alias information containedwithin the network either through the web interface or through hisdevice.

[0472] Configuration logic 3314 may provide that all aliases must beunique across an entire provider's network. Further, SCI 165 may allow asubscriber to enable or disable distribution lists, specify that apassword is required to access a distribution list, or enable or disabledistribution lists from one of the devices in a subscriber's accountprofile.

[0473] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a subscriber,through SCI 165, may be provided the ability to create and modifydestination devices and addresses. Likewise, a subscriber may be able tocreate and modify Internet destination devices and addresses. Forexample, each device can have its own address, and therefore, its ownalias. A subscriber, through SCI 165, may be able to create, modify, anddelete device profiles. In this manner, a subscriber, through the webinterface or through his device, may be able to change an alias and itsassociated device profile. Likewise, a subscriber may be able to assignaliases to a particular device or destination. In a further aspect ofthe present invention, a subscriber may be able to enable or disabledestination addresses using an alias. A subscriber may be provided theability to disable e-mail and web delivery using his mobile number oncean alias is created. A default alias, for example, could be a usernamethat is created on the account at activation or by the subscriber viathe web interface.

[0474] In a further embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 and itsconfiguration logic component 3314 may allow a subscriber to configurean account to be in an absent or vacation state to notify senders thatthe subscriber is unavailable. In this manner, a subscriber couldassociate the word “vacation” with this absent or vacation state. In oneembodiment, upon receiving a web send, email, or mobile-to-mobilemessage, the originator of that message may receive a prepared responsefrom the subscriber. This prepared response, for example, could indicatethat the subscriber is unavailable. In one aspect of the presentinvention, the subscriber can set this absent or vacation mode to beindefinite or to expire automatically after a set number of days. SCI165 may support an interface to configure a subscriber absentee mode.For example, a subscriber, through his mobile device, may be able toconfigure and initiate this absentee mode. In a further embodiment ofthe present invention, the web interface may provide a web page withwhich a subscriber can initiate or alter this absentee mode. Inaddition, SCI 165 may be able to support this user interface.

[0475] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 mayprovide the ability for a subscriber to configure White lists andBlacklists. White lists are used to grant access to specific domains,specific IP addresses, or specific email addresses, regardless ofwhether those domains or addresses might be excluded by a filteringprocess. Blacklists are used to block access from specific domains andIP addresses. In one embodiment, a subscriber may be able to provisionhis or her Blacklist and White list to manage e-mail and web access. Inaddition, White list and Blacklist capability can be implemented on aglobal as well as on a per subscriber level.

[0476] In one aspect consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, SCI 165 may support an interface, such as the web interface,to allow subscribers to manage their White lists and Blacklists. Asubscriber may be able to create a Blacklist, for example, by enteringvarious destination addresses in a web page displayed on the webinterface. In this manner, a subscriber may select a Blacklist functionon the web interface and be able to enter a list of Internet addressesto which the subscriber wishes to deny access. This information, enteredby a subscriber in the web interface, may then pass via communicationschannel 146 to SCI 165. SCI 165 may then publish this Blacklistinformation on network transport 125. RAVE 130 via integration transport132 may then store this Blacklist information in UADB 140 or one of itsreplicas. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, thisBlacklist information may be stored directly within SCI 165 by anynumber of methods. In yet another embodiment, DART 126 may storeblacklist information in MDS 175. In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, SCI 165 may support entering hosts and domains by name into aWhite list or Blacklist.

[0477] In a further aspect of the present invention, SCI 165 may be ableto obtain the IP address of an accessing party to be able to process theWhite list or Blacklist. For example, an Internet user who appears on asubscriber's Blacklist may attempt to access the web interface. In thiscase, the Blacklisted Internet user may wish to send the subscriber aweb send message. SCI 165 may then obtain the IP address of theBlacklisted Internet user for processing by the network. The IP addressof the Blacklisted Internet user may be published on network transport125 by SCI 165. This Blacklisted address may then be compared with thesubscriber's Blacklist stored in UADB 140 or one of its replicas. Sincethe addresses match, in this example, the Blacklisted user would bedenied access to the network. In a further embodiment of the presentinvention, SCI 165 may support reverse address lookup to list hosts anddomains by name. This reverse address lookup may then be used toprocess, for example, a Blacklist.

[0478] In a further embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 mayallow a provider the capability of creating and managing a system-wideBlacklist to control spamming. Further, SCI 165 may allow a provider tomanage global Blacklists. For example, a provider may have a list ofaddresses of known spammers. In such a case, the provider may wish toblock the spammer's access to the network. SCI 165 may allow for thecreation and administration of Blacklists to block potential spammer'saccess to the network.

[0479] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165 maybe accessed via the web interface. SCI 165 may provide the Internetaddress of the Internet user accessing the web interface. SCI 165 mayalso be capable of performing an Internet reverse address lookup toidentify the domain and host of the accessing party. After SCI 165obtains the address of the accessing party, SCI 165, for example, canapply per subscriber Blacklist and White list rule filtering to blockunwanted messages from the Internet. After applying per subscriberBlacklist and White list rule filtering, SCI 165 may then apply globalBlacklist filtering of sites identified as sources of spam-typemessages. In this manner, SCI 165 may implement filtering in a two-stepprocess. SCI 165 may first implement an individual subscriber'sBlacklist and White list and then implement a system-wide Blacklist, andWhite list.

[0480] In further embodiments of the present invention, Blacklists andWhite lists that are implemented on a system-wide level may takeprecedence over a Blacklist and White list for a particular subscriber.In this instance, SCI 165 may first check an accessing parties Internetaddress against a system-wide Blacklist. Second, SCI 165 may then checkthe accessing party's address against a subscriber's Blacklist. If theaccessing party's address does not appear on the subscriber's Blacklist,but does appear on the system-wide Blacklist, then that accessing partyis denied access to the network. In further embodiments of the presentinvention, SCI 165 may be able to implement multiple Blacklists andWhite lists. For example, a network administrator may establish multipleBlacklists with varying precedents. SCI 165 may be able to handle thevarious Blacklist rules, based on rules of precedence.

[0481] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, SCI 165supports other anti-spamming procedures. SCI 165 is capable oforigination validation based upon a sender's IP address or domain,limiting connections per second per host, accessing a national databaseof known spammers, providing customer awareness information related tospamming, providing a method for customers to report spamming to theprovider, providing a method for determining and blocking spamming byuse of war dialing attacks, providing a method for determining spammingbased upon the content of a web message using a list of regularexpressions, detecting previously unidentified spam messages based uponvolume of very similar web send messages, and using counters inprocessing the text of web send messages.

[0482] In a further embodiment of the present invention, firewalls (notshown) may be implemented between SCI 165 and the web interface as wellas between the web interface and Internet 175. These firewalls (notshown) serve to protect the web interface, SCI 165, and other elementsof the infrastructure. Further aspects of the present invention maysupport SSL to protect subscriber data when being accessed or updated bythe subscriber. For example, the web interface, SCI 165, or othernetwork entities may use various encryption methods in order to protectsubscriber data.

[0483] In a further exemplary embodiment, SCI 165 may support a processof propagating changes to other SCIs (not shown) when updates have beenmade to add new configuration and network service features. For example,SCI 165 may receive a new system-wide Blacklist. In such a case, SCI 165may propagate this new system-wide Blacklist to other SCIs (not shown).Alternatively, a new system-wide Blacklist may be propagated to all SCIsin parallel. In yet another embodiment, one SCI, such as SCI 165, may bedesignated as a master SCI. In such a case, master SCI 165 may thenpropagate a change in a system-wide Blacklist, for example, to otherSCIs.

[0484] In the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 33, create customdownload logic 3318, a component of SCI 165, allows a subscriber tocreate his own custom graphics, ring tones, calendar entries, andaddress book entries to send to enhanced messaging service (EMS)compliant devices. For example, create custom download logic 3318 mayprovide the capability for subscribers to create rich text, pictures,animations, melodies, and sounds. Further, create custom download logic3318 may allow subscribers to generate downloadable multimedia filessuch as MIDI files to devices that support this feature. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the web interface may provide a webpage on which a subscriber may access create custom download logic 3318.

[0485] The web interface may provide a web page in which a subscribercan create sounds. In this example, a subscriber may be able to create acustom ring tone via the web interface. This custom ring tone may thenproceed through communications channel 146 to SCI 165. SCI 165 maypublish this user-created ring tone on network transport 125. Inpublishing this user created ring tone on network transport 125, SCI 165may also attach information about the subscriber who created the ringtone. In such a case, the user-created ring tone may be stored in adatabase such as UADB 140 or MDS 175. A subscriber could then accessthis custom-created ring tone from his device. In such a manner, asubscriber may be able to create a ring tone using the web interface,store that ring tone in a database residing within the infrastructure,and then download that ring tone from the database to his device. In asimilar manner, a subscriber may be able to create custom graphics aswell as calendar and address book entries.

[0486]FIG. 34 depicts a method for querying or tracking a message basedon a unique identifier. In this example, a unique identifier isassociated with a message that is sent from one subscriber to anothersubscriber, from one subscriber to a non-subscriber, or from anon-subscriber to a subscriber. The method contemplates assigning aunique identifier to each message that travels through the network andallowing access to the message status based on that identifier. In oneaspect of the invention, the unique identifier can be entered in a queryrequest at any access point in the network. In another embodiment, aunique identifier is associated with a message center or an MTA. In thismanner, the identifier may be unique for that message center and notunique across multiple message centers in a network.

[0487] In exemplary step 3402, a subscriber sends a message. Asmentioned, the invention contemplates a non-subscriber sending a messageas well. The message can be sent from any device with any destinationaddress. For example, a non-subscriber may send a message from a “websend” web page displayed on a web browser by an SCI. In this case, theSCI displays a web page through which any Internet user can send amessage to any subscriber. In another embodiment, a subscriber sends amessage from his device to a non-subscriber's email account. The messageitself can be in any format and can be sent over any pathway through thenetwork.

[0488] In exemplary step 3404, the network assigns a unique identifierto the message. This unique identifier can be in the form of a string ofcharacters of any convenient length. For example, the unique identifiermay be a six character string of letters and numbers. In one aspect ofthe invention, a non-subscriber sends a message to a subscriber's devicefrom a “web send” web page. In this example, the message is received byan ARC for translation. The ARC initially strips off the destinationaddress and publishes the address with a subject of “validation request”on the network transport. In one aspect of the invention, the ARCpublishes the validation request without a particular RAVE as adestination. In this aspect, all RAVEs connected to the networktransport subscribe to messages with the subject “validation request.”In this publish and subscribe protocol, all RAVEs access the validationrequest.

[0489] In another embodiment, a point to point protocol is used. Theoriginating ARC directs the validation request to a specific RAVE. ARAVE entity receives the validation request and performs the necessaryvalidation functions. For example, the RAVE receives the destinationaddress, accesses a subscriber's information based on that destinationaddress, and returns a validation response. In various aspects of theinvention, this validation response can be published on the networkusing a publish and subscribe protocol or using a point to pointprotocol. The originating ARC receives the validation response. Sincethe destination address is valid, the ARC performs necessary translationfunctions and the message proceeds through the network to thedestination address. The ARC, upon translating the message, may assign aunique message identifier. This identifier could then pass back throughthe network to the web interface.

[0490] In another embodiment consistent with the exemplary method ofFIG. 34, the SCI itself assigns the unique message identifier. Inalternate embodiments of the invention, RAVE entities, DART entities,mail transfer agents, LAMB entities, or any other network element mayassign the unique identifier. The identifier may originate in a singlecomponent that generates unique identifiers. In another aspect of theinvention, numerous different network elements may each generate theunique identifiers. In this case, the network elements may communicateamong each other to ensure that the identifiers generated are unique. Inanother aspect of the invention, an identifier is assigned to a messagebased on the message center associated with the message. In that aspectof the invention, identifiers are unique for messages traveling througha message center but they may not be unique across different messagecenters in the network.

[0491] In exemplary step 3406, the unique identifier is displayed to theparty who originated the message. For example, a person who sends amessage from a “web send” web page may receive a unique identifierdisplayed on that web page. In one embodiment, a person sends a messagefrom a “web send” web page. Upon sending the message, a screencontaining the unique identifier associated with that message may pop upon the web page. In another embodiment, the unique identifier may besent to the person along with a delivery or read receipt. In yet anotherexample, a subscriber may receive the unique message identifier on apredetermined device or at a predetermined location. A subscriber maywish to receive the identifier possibly along with a delivery receipt atan email address specified by the subscriber.

[0492] Once in possession of the unique identifier, a person may querythe message as depicted in exemplary step 3408. A person may access a“query message” web page displayed on a web portal served by an SCI. Inthis example, the “query message” web page contains various queryfunctions such as tracking a message, ascertaining whether the messagewas delivered, ascertaining whether the message was read, displayingtransmission errors, and any other type of query function. The “querymessage” web page displays a screen into which a person can enter theunique identifier. In other embodiments of the invention, a subscribermay be able to initiate a query from a device. A subscriber may be ableto enter the unique identifier into a blackberry, pager, cellular phone,or other device to obtain information about the message.

[0493] Once the unique identifier is entered, as depicted in exemplarystep 3410, the network retrieves the queried information about themessage based on the unique identifier. A unique identifier is enteredinto a “query message” web page. The identifier is passed from the webpage to an SCI. In one embodiment, the SCI contains a listing of theunique identifiers associated with messages sent from the web page. TheSCI may then perform a look-up function to ascertain the status of themessage and any other requested information. In another embodiment, theSCI publishes on a network transport the unique identifier along withthe subject “query request.” In this example, the DART entity maysubscribe to the subject “query request” and each DART may look forthese messages. In this manner, the network may use a publish andsubscriber protocol.

[0494] In another embodiment, the “query request” may be addressed to aspecific DART element in a point to point protocol. In either case, aDART element receives the “query request” with the unique identifier.The DART element, in this example, accesses one or more MDSs based onthe unique identifier. For example, messages and accompanying messageinformation may be stored in an MDS in various tables along with aunique identifier. In this manner, a DART element may simply perform alook-up operation to retrieve message information from an MDS database.In this example, the MDS stores the message itself along with messageinformation including information about receipt of the message. The DARTelement returns the information to the network transport, either in apublish and subscribe protocol or a point to point protocol, destinedfor the originating SCI. The SCI displays the information on a web page.In other embodiments of the invention, other elements may perform thequery functions. For example, a RAVE entity or a LAMB entity may accessa database to retrieve the information requested in a query.

[0495] In exemplary step 3412, the requested information is displayed.In the example of a query initiated from a web page, the requestedinformation is displayed on the web page. In other embodiments of theinvention, the information is displayed on a device. The information mayalso be sent to a destination device specified by a subscriber. Forexample, a subscriber may initiate a query from his pager and thenrequest that the information be sent to a specified email address.

[0496]FIG. 35 depicts a method for password protecting asubscriber-created distribution list in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention. In step 3502, asubscriber creates a distribution list of destination addresses. In oneembodiment of the invention, a subscriber may access a web page tocreate a distribution list of addresses. In this example, a subscriberenters into the web page a list of destination addresses. Thesedestination addresses are then associated with an alias that thesubscriber uses to refer to the distribution list.

[0497] A subscriber may enter into the web page a list of addresses thatcorrespond to the people with whom he works. This distribution list maythen be associated with a word such as “work.” In this manner, thesubscriber can refer to the list of addresses simply by entering theword “work” into a device. In another embodiment of the invention, theaddresses of a distribution list can be entered into a device such as ablackberry, cellular phone, or pager. In another aspect of theinvention, a subscriber may enter the list of addresses into a PDA orpersonal computer. In addition, the subscriber may associate any stringof characters with the distribution list. For example, the subscribermay associate a word, a number, or a symbol with the list.

[0498] In exemplary step 3504, the subscriber enters a password that isused to protect the distribution list. In one aspect of the invention,the network displays a query to the subscriber asking if he wishes topassword protect the distribution list. The subscriber may respond thathe wishes to password protect the distribution list. In such a case, thenetwork then requests that the subscriber enter a password. In oneaspect of the invention, the subscriber enters the password into a webpage displayed on a personal computer. In other aspects of theinvention, the subscriber enters the password into a personal digitalassistant, pager, cellular phone, or other device.

[0499] In exemplary steps 3506 and 3508, the network associates thepassword with the distribution list and stores the password anddistribution list in a data structure. For example, a subscriber mayenter a distribution list and password into a device. This informationthen passes to an ARC element for translation. Initially, the incomingARC publishes on a network transport a validation request. A RAVEreceives the validation request, looks up information stored in a UADB,RVDB, or MIND, processes the validation request, and returns avalidation response. In this example, subscriber information stored in adata structure indicates that the subscriber has signed up for servicethat allows him to create password-protected distribution lists. Thevalidation response is received by the incoming ARC. Upon receipt, theARC translates the distribution list and password into a common formatand appends relevant message information such as the originatingaddress, message type, and other information. The ARC sends thistranslated list, password, and accompanying information, for example, toa RAVE via the network transport.

[0500] As noted, communication between the network entities can occurvia a publish and subscribe protocol or a point to point protocol. TheRAVE receives the distribution list, password, and accompanyinginformation and stores them in a UADB, RVDB, MIND, or other datastructure. In one embodiment, the data structure is a relationaldatabase that stores the list and password along with accompanyingidentifying information in tables. In this manner, the password isassociated with the distribution list in the data structure. Thepassword and distribution list may be stored together in the same datastructure in the same table, or in different data structures that arelinked together. In another aspect of the invention, the distributionlist and password are stored in a linked list. Encryption may beemployed to preserve the integrity of the password. In another aspect ofthe invention, various flags, such as a confidentiality flag, may be setto indicate the confidential nature of the password.

[0501] After the distribution list and password are stored, thesubscriber, in exemplary step 3510, requests access to the distributionlist using the password. In this example, the subscriber accesses thedistribution list from a device. The subscriber enters a message anddenotes as its destination a distribution list. The subscriber may wishto send a message to his work contacts. In this manner, the subscriberenters the word “work” as the destination for a message. The word “work”in this case is an alias referring to the distribution list ofdestination addresses associated with the subscriber's work contacts.

[0502] Upon entering the distribution list as the destination for themessage, the network prompts the subscriber for the password. In oneembodiment of the invention, the subscriber enters a message with apassword protected distribution list as a destination. The distributionlist alias is received by an ARC element. The ARC element, in thisexample, publishes on a network transport the alias along with a “getalias information” request. The RAVE entity receives the “get aliasinformation” request and processes it by accessing information stored ina UADB, RVDB, or other data structure. The RAVE, upon accessing the datastructure discovers that the distribution list is password protected andsends a “get password” request to the originating ARC. The ARCtranslates the “get password” request so that it can be displayed on thedevice. This prompt is then displayed on the subscriber's device. Inother aspects of the invention, this password prompt can be displayed inmany different forms on any device used in conjunction with the network.The subscriber responds to the password prompt by entering the passwordinto his device and transmitting it to the network.

[0503] As depicted in exemplary step 3512, upon receipt of the password,the network allows access to the distribution list. In this example, thesubscriber enters the password into a device. The incoming ARC receivesthe password, performs translation, and sends it to the RAVE forverification. The RAVE receives the password and checks it against thepassword stored in a data structure. The password is valid and the RAVEreturns a validation response along with the contents of thedistribution list. Other elements of the network then process themessage. In further embodiments of the invention, other networkelements, such as the LAMB, DART, other ARCs, SCIs, and other RAVEs, mayperform the distribution look-up and password validation functionsdescribed.

[0504]FIG. 36 depicts a method for designating a type of messagenotification in an exemplary embodiment consistent with the principlesof the present invention. In this example, a subscriber sends a messageand requests a notification about the receipt of the message. Inexemplary step 3602, the subscriber sends a message. This message can beof any type and can be sent from any type of device. For example, thesubscriber may send an SMS message from his cellular phone. In thiscase, the subscriber enters the message text and destination into hisphone.

[0505] After entering the message to be sent, the subscriber enters thetype of notification he wishes to receive as depicted in exemplary step3604. In one embodiment of the invention, the subscriber enters thenotification type when he enters the message itself. In anotherembodiment, the network prompts the user to enter a notification type.For example, a subscriber who sends an SMS message on his cellular phonefirst enters the destination address and message text. After he forwardsthe message text and destination address to the network, he receives aprompt from the network to enter the type of notification he wishes toreceive. This prompt displays a list of notification types andnotification destinations.

[0506] Notification types may include receipt notification whichnotifies a sender of a message when the message was received and readnotification which notifies the sender of a message when the message isread. The subscriber may also be able to choose a destination for thenotification. In this manner, a subscriber may receive the notificationon any device such as a personal computer, pager, or cellular phone.

[0507] In one embodiment of the invention, the notification prompt isgenerated by a network entity such as a RAVE, ARC, LAMB, SCI, or DART.For example, a first subscriber may send a message from a web page to asecond subscriber. The first subscriber enters the message anddestination address into a “web send” web page. The first subscriberthen enters the type of notification he wishes to receive and theaddress to which he wants the notification sent. This web page is servedup by an SCI. In this manner, the SCI solicits the notificationinformation and then transmits the notification information to othernetwork entities for processing.

[0508] In exemplary steps 3606 and 3608, the network receives thenotification information and processes it. In one embodiment, thenotification information includes the type of notification requested, amessage identifier, and a destination address or multiple destinationaddresses to which the notification is to be sent. This information maybe passed from a web page to an SCI and then to an ARC. In anotherembodiment, the information is passed directly from a device to an ARC.Upon receipt, the ARC performs translation functions and publishes on anetwork transport the information with the subject “notificationrequest.” In this case, DART entities subscribe for notificationrequests and a DART entity receives the information. In otherembodiments of the invention, other network entities such as RAVEs,LAMBs, and ARCs may subscribe for notification requests. Upon receipt,the DART processes the request by accessing an MDS to determine thestatus of the message. In one embodiment of the invention, statusinformation is stored in an MDS along with the message itself andaccompanying information. The DART, in this case, accesses an associatedMDS for information to satisfy the notification request.

[0509] Upon accessing this information, the DART returns the informationto the network transport. An ARC receives the information along with thedestination address or addresses for the notification message. Thereceiving ARC translates the notification message into a format that isdisplayable on the devices associated with the destination addresses. Inone aspect, a notification message that is sent to multiple devices mayrequire multiple ARCs to perform the proper translation functions. Aftertranslation, the notification message is sent to the devices at thespecified destination addresses as depicted in exemplary step 3610.

[0510]FIG. 37 depicts a method for providing message information to asubscriber based on the contents of a cookie in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention. In exemplarystep 3702, the network reads a cookie from a browser. In one exampleconsistent with the principles of the invention, a subscriber accesses a“web send” web page from a browser on a personal computer connected tothe internet. The browser, for example, can be Netscape Navigator orMicrosoft Internet Explorer. In this example, an SCI, MTA, or web baseddevice serves up the “web send” web page to the subscriber's browser.Alternatively, a server connected to the network serves up the “websend” web page to the subscriber's browser. As is commonly known in theart, the server on which the “web send” web page resides reads a cookiefrom the subscriber's browser. The cookie may be read in any convenientmanner. Alternatively, if the subscriber is a first time visitor to theweb page, the server creates a cookie that is written to thesubscriber's browser. This newly created cookie may then be read andupdated with message information. The contents of cookies, the manner inwhich they are read, and the manner in which they are created are allknown to those skilled in the art.

[0511] In exemplary step 3704, the network updates the contents of thecookie with message information. A subscriber accessing a “web send” webpage from his browser sends a message that travels through the network.As previously noted, this message can be of any type and can have anydestination. The subscriber may send an SMSmessage from a web page to adevice. This message, in this example, travels through the network toits destination. In one aspect of the invention, the destination addressand/or the origination address are verified by a RAVE entity, themessage is translated by incoming and outgoing ARCs, and the message andaccompanying information are stored in a data structure by a DART. Inthis example, the SCI obtains information about the message and adds itto the cookie. The SCI obtains a message identifier which can be in theform of a string of characters, and appends that identifier to thecookie. Other various types of information such as transactionidentifiers, message type codes, destination addresses, or any othertype of message information may be appended to the cookie. In thismanner, the cookie contains information about the message, in this case,that the subscriber has sent from a “web send” web page displayed on abrowser.

[0512] In exemplary step 3706, the network transmits the updated cookieto the subscriber's browser. After appending message information to thecookie, the SCI or other server transmits the cookie to the subscriber'sbrowser. The web browser software writes the cookie to the hard drive onthe subscriber's personal computer. The various methods of transmittingand writing cookies are known to those skilled in the art.

[0513] This process can be repeated many times. For example, asubscriber may send several messages from his browser. Each time amessage is sent, a cookie can be read, updated, and returned to thebrowser. Alternatively, the SCI or other server may initially read thecookie, compile information about all the messages sent from the webpage, update the cookie with that collective information, and thentransmit the cookie back to the web browser. Many other combinations ofreading, updating, and returning a cookie are known to those skilled inthe art and are within the scope of this invention.

[0514] In exemplary step 3708, the browser accesses information storedin the cookie. For example, a subscriber may initiate a query about themessages he sent from his browser. In this manner, a subscriber mayquery the system for the messages that have been received or read bytheir intended destination. The information contained in the cookie maybe used to satisfy the query request. For example, the subscriberinitiates a query request from his browser. Upon initiating the query,the network reads the cookie and obtains the message information. In oneaspect of the invention, the message information comprises a uniquemessage identifier for each message sent. The network obtains themessage identifiers from the cookie and performs a query function basedon those identifiers. The SCI or other server reads the cookie, stripsout the message identifiers and passes a query request along with theidentifiers to an incoming ARC. The ARC translates this request alongwith the identifiers into a common format and transmits this informationto another network entity such as a DART, RAVE, or LAMB. A DART receivesthe request along with the identifiers and obtains the status of themessages from a connected data structure. The DART may perform a simplelookup in an MDS based on the message identifiers. The DART may thenreturn the requested information to an ARC for translation. Thisinformation may then pass through an SCI or other server to be displayedon the subscriber's browser.

[0515] In another embodiment of the invention, the browser simply readsthe message information from the cookie and displays it to thesubscriber. In this example, the cookie may be updated by the network sothat it contains information about whether the messages were received orread. In this manner, the network may read the cookie and update it withvarious information about the status of the message.

[0516] Finally, in exemplary step 3710, the message information isdisplayed on the browser. This information can be displayed on thebrowser in any format and methods for displaying information on abrowser are known to those skilled in the art.

[0517] In this embodiment, the SCI serves up web page content, monitorsthe web page, receives responses from the web page, and processes thoseresponses. At stage 3810, the SCI retrieves web page content to bedisplayed on a web page, and at stage 3820 displays that content on theweb page. The SCI may access a data storage device to obtain the webpage content and may also update portions of a web page with thatcontent. At stage 3830, the SCI monitors the web page for responses fromsubscribers. At stage 3840, the SCI receives a response and, at stage3850, the SCI processes that response. The SCI then continues to monitorthe web page for further responses as illustrated in stage 3830.

[0518]FIG. 39 illustrates the receipt of a response by the SCI in anexemplary embodiment consistent with the principles of the presentinvention. At stage 3830, a web page daemon monitors traffic forresponses. At stage 3920, the web page receives a response. Moreparticularly, the server on which the web page is displayed receives theresponse. At stage 3930, the response is passed to the portal interfaceportion of the SCI. The portal interface portion, in this embodiment,acts as a gateway between the SCI logic and the web server. At stage3940, the portal interface portion of the SCI passes the response to theSCI logic portion for processing.

[0519]FIG. 40 is an exemplary flow diagram that illustrates theprocessing of a response by the SCI in an exemplary embodimentconsistent with the principles of the present invention. While only afew different processing functions are depicted, the SCI is capable ofperforming additional functions described herein. At stage 4002, the SCIdetermines if the response is a query request. In this case, the queryrequest is based on a unique identifier previously assigned to amessage. The subscriber enters the unique identifier into a web page andthe request along with the identifier is received by the SCI. If theresponse is a query request, then the SCI parses out the uniqueidentifier on which the query is based as indicated in stage 4005. Instage 4007, the SCI passes the identifier along with a request to thenetwork transport. In an alternate embodiment, the request andidentifier may be passed to an ARC for translation before being placedon the network transport. At stage 4010, the SCI receives the requestedinformation. In this case, the requested information is the status orhistory of the message associated with the unique identifier. At stage4012, the SCI displays the requested information on the web page.

[0520] If the response is not a query request, the flow proceeds tostage 4015 in which the SCI determines if the response is a request tocreate a password. In many instances, a subscriber may be able to createa password that can be associated with different aspects of his account.For example, a subscriber may be able to create a password protecteddistribution list. If the request is a create password request, then theSCI parses out the password entered by the subscriber as depicted instage 4017. In this manner, the response itself contains a request tocreate a password along with the desired password. At stage 4020, theSCI places the password along with a request on the network transport.Alternately, the SCI passes the request and desired password to an ARCfor translation before the request and desired password are placed onthe network transport. At stage 4022, the SCI receives confirmation thatthe password has been created in the system. In one embodiment, thisconfirmation acknowledges the creation of the password as well as thepassword itself. At stage 4025, the SCI displays the confirmationinformation on the web page.

[0521] If the response is not a request to create a password, then theSCI determines if the response is a password required response asillustrated in stage 4027. For example, a subscriber may wish to accessa password protected distribution list. In such a case, the subscribermust enter the password when prompted by the web page. The entry of thispassword is transmitted to the SCI for processing in the form of apassword required response. At stage 4030, the SCI parse out thepassword. The SCI places the password along with a request on thenetwork transport for processing by the network as illustrated in stage4032. Alternately, the SCI passes the request and password to an ARC fortranslation and the ARC places the translated request and password onthe network transport.

[0522] At stage 4035, the SCI receives the response from the network.Typically, this response contains information about the validity of thepassword. At stage 4037, the SCI, based on the response from thenetwork, determines whether the password is valid. If it is valid, thenthe SCI permits access as depicted in stage 4040. If the password isinvalid, then the SCI denies access as illustrated in stage 4042.

[0523] If the response is not a password required response, then the SCIdetermines if it is another type of request as illustrated in stage4045. As noted, the SCI is capable of performing numerous functions byreceiving responses entered by subscribers into a web page. If theresponse is a type of request, then the SCI parses out the necessaryinformation in stage 4047. At stage 4050, the information, along with arequest, is placed on the network transport for processing by thenetwork. Alternately, the information and request are transmitted to anARC for translation. At stage 4052, the SCI receives a response to therequest, and at stage 4055, the SCI displays the relevant information.Finally, if the response is not a type of request, then the SCI performserror handling functions as illustrated in stage 4057.

[0524] LAMB

[0525]FIG. 41 illustrates a LAMB in an exemplary embodiment consistentwith the principles of the present invention. A LAMB (logging,administration, maintenance, and billing) module 160 is operativelyconnected to network transport layer 125. Network transport layer 125may comprise, for example, a network bus through which messages pass.LAMB module 160 may also be operatively connected to a user console4104. User console 4104 may comprise, for example, one or more terminalsconnected to LAMB module 160 via any known network protocol or via theInternet.

[0526] LAMB module 160 may further comprise a LAMB processor 4106 and adata storage module 4108. LAMB processor typically comprises a networkinput/output (I/O) module 4110 for interfacing with network transportlayer 125 and a console input/output (I/O) module 4112 for interfacingwith user console 4104. LAMB processor 4106 may also comprise a memory4114 and a central processing unit (CPU) 4116. CPU 4116 may processinstructions stored in memory 4114 for administering an error condition.Additionally, CPU 4116 may interface with data storage module 4108 torecord information relating to message moving through the communicationsnetwork. Optionally, memory 4114 and data storage module 4108 can bepart of the same storage device.

[0527]FIG. 42 illustrates an exemplary method for administering an errorcondition in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Instep 4200, a message moving through the communication network (i.e.,network transport layer 125) is monitored. A determination is made instep 4202 whether there is an error condition associated with themessage. If there is no error condition, basic information relating tothe transaction is recorded in step 4204 to the data storage module4108. If there is an error condition, detailed information is recordedin step 4206 to the data storage module 4108. In contrast, detailedinformation comprises basic information plus additional information. Therationale behind the determination in step 4202 is to conserve storagespace in data storage module 4108 when a message is transmittederror-free. In contrast, this space is reserved for messages provokingan error condition, because such messages are most likely to be replayedand scrutinized.

[0528] For those messages that do provoke an error condition, themessage is replayed through the communications network in step 4208.Step 4208 may comprise transmitting the message through thecommunications network in a safe mode of operation (as is known in theart), at the behest of a user, and/or on a step-by-step basis. Moreover,if, for example, the transmission of the may cause damage or otherdeleterious effects to the communications network, flags may be added tocertain portions of the message indicate that certain operationsassociated with the message transmission are “dummy” operations, i.e.,for troubleshooting and not for actual execution. This flaggingoperation may be implemented manually by a user or automatically viasoftware resident in LAMB module 4106, for example.

[0529] Turning now to FIG. 43, an exemplary method for stepping througha message transmission consistent with an embodiment of the instantinvention will now be described. In step 4300, instructions are receivedfrom a user console about an element of the communications network onwhich to focus. Typically, a user will input a desired element for thefocus at the user console based on the user's notion that a particularelement is at the root of the error condition. Elements on which tofocus may comprise, for example, SMSCs, ARCs, RAVEs, or DARTs. In step4302, a user may command the stepping of the message through thecommunication network, wherein the LAMB module 4106 receivesinstructions from the user console to perform the next step of themessage transmission. Response information related to the response ofthe element of focus is recorded in step 4304. This response informationmay comprise, for example, details associated with an error condition.In step 4306, this response information is transmitted to the userconsole.

[0530] In this way, the information may be used by the user totroubleshoot problems associated with the message transmission. Step4306 may then revert back to step 4302 as needed to complete all stepsnecessary to transmit the message through the communications system.

[0531] Turning now to FIG. 44, in a first exemplary embodiment, acontent router 155 may be operatively connected to a multiplexer 4402.Content router 155 may modify the destination and/or text of a messagemoving through the communication network. Multiplexer 4402 isoperatively connected to one or more External Short Message Entities(ESMEs) 4404, which may send request messages comprising, for example, acommand and at least one parameter.

[0532] Multiplexer 4402 is also operatively connected to one or moreshort message service centers (SMSC) 4406, which are responsible forproviding response information in response to query messages, such asthose that may be sent from content router 155. SMSC 4406 may comprise acontent provider, such as an Internet or Intranet website, or any otherinformation provider. Multiplexer 4402 may route request messages basedon instructions provided by content router 155 to and from various SMSCs4406 that provide information content. SMSCs 4406 may then send a queryresponse message back through multiplexer 4402 to content router 155.Content router 155 may then send a request response message back toESMEs 4404.

[0533]FIG. 45 illustrates another exemplary system environment in whichto practice an embodiment of the present invention. Turning to FIG. 45,a content router 155 is operatively connected to a network transportlayer 125, which may comprise a bus, for example. Network transportlayer 125 is in turn operatively connected to one or more AdaptiveRouting Concentrators (ARC) 110. ARCs 110 may be used to interfacebetween network transport layer 125 and various network elements. An ARC110 may interface an ESME 115 with network transport layer 125. Asmentioned previously, ESME 115 may send request messages comprising, forexample, a command and at least one parameter, through ARC 110 tonetwork transport 125.

[0534] Content router 155, which may monitor the network transport layer125 for such request messages, may then receive the request message andprocess the request message. Such processing may comprise, for example,sending a query message through an ARC 110 to an SMSC 105 based on thecommand and the at least one parameter. SMSC 105 functions to provideinformation content. Thus, SMSC 105 may, in turn, send a query responsemessage back through an ARC 110 to content router 155 via the networktransport layer 125. Here again, content router 155 may process thereceived query response message. After processing, content router 155may send a request response message back to ESME 115 via networktransport layer 125 and an ARC 110.

[0535] Additionally, network transport layer 125 may be operativelyconnected to a RAVE 130, which may act as a address aliasing facility toall elements of the communications network. In this way, the aliasingfacility may receive a destination address, which is typically anabbreviation or shortened code, and send out its associated long code,address, or telephone number back to a requesting entity.

[0536]FIG. 46 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method forretrieving information consistent with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 4600, a message request is received at, for example,content router 155. This message request may originate in an ESME 115,such as a mobile telephone or other wireless communication device.Message requests may comprise just a command or may comprise a commandand at least one parameter. For example, the message

[0537] QUOTE SBC

[0538] requests a real-time stock quote for SBC Communications, Inc.,wherein “QUOTE” is the command and “SBC” is the parameter. Furthermore,the message

[0539] QUOTE SBC BLS

[0540] is an example of a message with two parameters, wherein themessage requests real-time stock quotes for SBC Communications, Inc. andBellSouth Corporation. Finally, the message

[0541] WEATHER

[0542] is an example of a message with a command and no parameters,wherein the message requests a weather report for a prespecifiedlocation. The present invention contemplates any number of suchcommands, such as TRAFFIC, SCORE, NEWS, and HELP. The present inventionalso contemplates that any of these commands may be modified and newcommands could be added. Commands should generally comprise a mnemonicor an abbreviation for a service associated with the command.

[0543] In step 4602, content router 155 parses the received messagedetermine the command, and, optionally, one or more parameters. In somecases, content router 155 may receive some messages where the command isnot recognized. As an optional step to the exemplary method, contentrouter 155 may determine if the received message contains a recognizedcommand. If the received request message does not contain a recognizedcommand, content router 155 may optionally send a further informationrequest back to the entity that sent the request message. This furtherinformation request may seek clarification of the command in theoriginal request message. Furthermore, content router 155 may send aquery message comprising a default command if the received requestmessage does not contain a recognized command.

[0544] Another optional step may be used for handling commands that arenot recognized. This step comprises parsing received request message forat least a semblance of a recognized command. In actuality, thissemblance of a recognized command may comprise a fragment of a command,a misspelled command, an aliased command, a command concatenated to aparameter, a command concatenated to an address, or an abbreviatedcommand, for example. Once this semblance of a command is recognized, arecognized command may be associated with the semblance of a command. Inthis way, the associated command may be sent with a query message. Thepresent invention contemplates that the step of associating a knowncommand with a semblance of a command may be implemented via lookuptables, dictionaries, heuristics, and/or experience. Furthermore, thepresent invention contemplates that this step may be adaptive andchangeable as new permutations of commands are encountered.

[0545] Using the command and the parameter(s), content router 155fashions a query message based on a protocol associated with a contentprovider (step 4604). This step acknowledges that content providers(such as SMSC 105) may have specific message protocols for obtaininginformation that likely differ from those of the entity sending amessage request. Optionally, the command may be associated with acertain content provider such that all messages comprising that commandare sent to the certain content provider. In step 4606, content router155 sends the query message to the content provider.

[0546] Content router 155 receives a message, parses the message for acommand, fashions a query message in the format recognized by thecontent provider, and sends the query message to the content provider.

[0547] Typically, the content provider will process the query message inits own proprietary fashion. For example, the content provider maycomprise an Internet or Intranet web site. Thus, data from the contentprovider may be obtained, for example, by sending a message that fillsout appropriate fields in a web page and submits a request forinformation.

[0548] Again with reference to FIG. 46, content router 155 may receive aquery response message from the content provider in step 4608. In step4610, the content router may parse the query response message for theresponse information, which should comprise the information originallysought in the message request. The content provider fashions a requestto the response message based on this response information and based ona protocol associated with the message request (step 4612). In step4614, content router 155 sends the request response message, typicallyto the device that sent the original message request. Typically, theprotocol associated with the message request is actually the protocol ofthe device that sent the message request. Thus, step 4612 fashions amessage that may be understood by the entity that sent the originalmessage request.

[0549] Turning now to FIG. 47, another exemplary method will bedescribed for retrieving information according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. In step 4700, content router 155 receives a messagerequest. As mentioned above, this message request may originate in anESME 115, such as a mobile telephone or other wireless communicationdevice. Message requests may comprise a command and/or at least oneparameter, and a destination alias or a destination address. In step4702, content router sends and address request message to an aliasingfacility, such as, for example, a RAVE 130. The content router may thentransform the destination alias into its associated destination address(e.g., a long code, address, or telephone number), which is then sentback to content router 155. In step 4700, content router 155 receivesthe destination address.

[0550] Content router 155 fashions a query message in step 4706 based ona protocol associated with the destination address. Typically, theprotocol of the device to which the query message is being sent willdictate the protocol of the query message, such as, for example, theposting of form data in a predetermined format for a Intranet orInternet web site. The query message is sent to the destination addressin step 4708 by content router 155. Typically, a device associated withthe destination address, such as a content provider, will process thequery message and send a query response message back to content router155. In step 4710, content router 155 receives (a query response messagefrom a device associated with the destination address.

[0551] Content router 155 may fashion a request response message in step4712. This request response message may be based on a protocolassociated with the request message. In step 4714, content router 155sends this request response message typically to the device that sent amessage request. This device could comprise an ESME 115, such as amobile telephone or other wireless communication device. However, it iscontemplated that content router 155 may send the request responsemessage to other devices without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

[0552] An example of the exemplary method of FIG. 47 will now bepresented. Consider the message request

[0553] 141 QUOTE SBC

[0554] that is received by content router 155. In this message, “141” isthe destination alias, “QUOTE” is the command, and “SBC” is theparameter. According to the exemplary method of FIG. 47, content router155 sends an address request message to an aliasing facility. Theaddress request message comprises the address alias, such as

[0555] 141

[0556] Content router 155 then receives a destination address from thealiasing facility, such as

[0557] 111040000

[0558] where “111040000” is a destination address associated with thedestination alias. Content router may then combine the destinationaddress with the command and the one or more parameters, such as

[0559] 111040000 QUOTE SBC

[0560] and send this message to network transport layer 125 for eventualdelivery to a device associated with the destination address (e.g., acontent provider). In this example, the device associated with thedestination address may be a content provider that is capable ofproviding real-time stock quotes. In step 4700, content router 155 mayreceive a response from the content providing device at the destinationaddress, such as

[0561] 40.17

[0562] In this case “40.17” represents a current stock price for SBCCommunications, Inc.

[0563] Content provider 155 can then fashion a request response messagecomprising this information and send the request response message backto the device that sent the original message request. Furthermore,content provider 155 would fashion the message based on a protocolassociated with this device, such that the sent message would beunderstood by the device. Typically, this device would be an ESME 115,such as a mobile telephone or other wireless communication device. Thus,the stock price information could be displayed by the device remotely.

[0564] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may supportSMPP3.4.

[0565] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may use adatabase for storing the processing rules.

[0566] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may provide aweb based interface to maintain processing rules.

[0567] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may supportkeyword selection from the content of a message.

[0568] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may supportkeywords with regular expressions, for example a rule with [h-i]elp mayaccept help and ielp.

[0569] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may supportkeywords as case sensitive/insensitive.

[0570] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may supportintelligent keyword selection. Keywords may be treated as if they do nothave white space (E.g. Help Games can be listed as HelpGames)

[0571] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may supportarguments in the message contents (e.g., keyword followed by multiplearguments).

[0572] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may supportvariable tags for argument selection (e.g. $1, $2, $3 ).

[0573] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may allowmultiple Destination/Keyword combinations to take one specific action

[0574] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may support anengine which uses both the content and subject for rule evaluation.

[0575] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may allow newrules to be added dynamically.

[0576] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may allowmodification of the originating and or destination address of themessage.

[0577] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may selectivelycreate new content based on some/all of the parameters of the originalmessage.

[0578] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may usedelimiting characters (space, comma, hash, star, etc) to identifykeywords and parameters.

[0579] If a routing rule does not exist then a default action may beprovided (e.g. notify the originator of the problem).

[0580] It will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art thatvarious changes and modifications of an obvious nature may be made, andall such changes and modifications are considered to fall within thescope of the appended claims. Other embodiments of the invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It isintended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplaryonly, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated bythe following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for the centralized storage of messageson a telecommunications network, the system comprising: a processor;memory coupled to the processor; and a data storage device coupled tothe processor, the data storage device comprising: a message storeportion for storing message information; a transaction segment portionfor storing segment information; and a message device status portion forstoring device information, wherein the message store portion isassociated with the transaction segment portion and the device statusportion in the data structure.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein themessage store portion further comprises a flag for indicating whether amessage is proprietary.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the messagestore portion further comprises a transaction identifier portion forstoring a transaction identification string.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the message store portion further comprises a message classportion for storing message class information.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the message store portion further comprises a segment portionfor storing segment information.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein themessage store portion further comprises a priority portion for storingpriority information.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the messagestore portion further comprises an originating address portion forstoring originating address information.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the message store portion further comprises a destinationaddress portion for storing destination address information.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the message store portion further comprises aclass of service portion for storing class of service information. 10.The system of claim 1, wherein the message store portion furthercomprises a status portion for storing status information.
 11. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the message store portion further comprises adate submitted portion for storing submission information.
 12. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the message store portion further comprises asequence number portion for storing sequence information.
 13. The systemof claim 1, wherein the message store portion further comprises anaddress notification portion for storing address notificationinformation.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction segmentportion further comprises a segment number portion for storing segmentnumber information and a segment data portion for storing segment datainformation.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the message devicestatus portion further comprises a device type portion for storingdevice type information.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the messagedevice status portion further comprises a route identifier portion forstoring route identification information.
 17. The system of claim 1,wherein the message device status portion further comprises a devicestatus portion for storing device status information.
 18. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the message device status portion further comprises acompletion date portion for storing completion date information.
 19. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the message device status portion furthercomprises a query attempts portion for storing query attemptinformation.
 20. The system of claim 1, wherein the message devicestatus portion further comprises a retry attempts portion for storingretry attempts information.
 21. The system of claim 1, wherein themessage device status portion further comprises a number of segmentssuccessful portion for storing a number of segments successfullytransmitted.
 22. The system of claim 1, wherein the message devicestatus portion further comprises a number of segments unsuccessfulportion for storing a number of segments unsuccessfully transmitted.